The 74th Annual Hunger Games
by KellyTS
Summary: President Snow's threat still lingered in my mind. I can't just let you go, and there is someone I can think of who may be draw at the reaping, without anyone thinking a thing of it. You think you're doing your little star crossed lovers act any good sneaking off into the woods with him every week? Yes. It would be Gale. Who has had the odds staked against him his whole life.
1. Chapter 1

**Katniss' POV:**

I fidgeted in my seat. I hated crowded places on good days. On bad days, I despised them. This, was defiantly a bad day. The reaping. Yeah, well, Prim was only in twice, the bare minimum for her age group, so much good that did her last year. Only now I can't volunteer for her anymore. Because I'm a victor. What an honor. I did the best job of killing innocent children. Only, once again, it wasn't Prim I was concerned about. This time, it was my best friend. The one who would have taken care of my sister had I been killed in the bloody onslaught of the Hunger Games. Gale.

President Snow's personal threat still lingered in my mind.

_"You know, I can't just let you go, but there is some one I can think of who may be draw at the reaping this year, without anyone thinking a thing of it,"_

_Prim would be too big of a coincidence, and would surely cause uprisings, like in district 11. The only other person I care about enough is..._

_"You think you're doing your little star crossed lovers act any good sneaking off into the woods with him every week?"_

_Yes. It would be Gale. Who has had the odds staked against him his whole life. Who is already taking the maximum reaping in the last year of his eligibility in the Hunger Games. Who is the only person on earth aside from Prim who I would have even considered volunteering for. That is, if I could have. _

"Welcome and Happy Hunger Games," Effie Trinket's trill snaps me back to the present.

I'm sitting onstage in front of the whole district, between Effie's empty chair and Haymitch.

Gale looks up to me and out eyes meet, he flashes me a smile of encouragement that I can't return, because I know what is going to happen.

I twitch again in my seat and look down at my hands. I'm in a similar dress as last year, only now it is a deep maroon with golden flecks scattered throughout it. It doesn't burst into flames when I start spinning like some of Cina's designs, but it has a nice elegance, while still holding onto my 'girl on fire' theme. A type of symbolism I suppose, that I stood here last year, and survived, a stronger person because of it.

"And now for the boys'" Effie announces. I had completely missed the girls reaping. I glance to the small stature of a young girl standing next to Effie. She is, quite litearly, shaking in her boots. Small sniffling and sobbing sounds emanated from her. It was obvious by her clothes and general appearance that she was from the Seam. Typical dark hair, olive skin, hollow features and knobby joints from lack of food. As expected from a system worked out in favor of the rich.

Effie's hand fished around in the glass orb for several seconds until she settled on one paper and drew it out. It wouldn't matter what she had picked, every last name in that bowl was the same.

She stepped back to the microphone in her spiked heels and unfolded it.

"Gale Hawthorne," She announces.

Our eyes meet again, only this time, his aren't encouraging. They are solid. His character mask in just as good as mine. It doesn't matter what you really feel, what matters is what they think you feel.

The crowd is completely silent. They recognize the message this is meant to send. A public display that if you defy the Capitol, you will pay. Me as the example.

He steps up to the aisle and is escorted the rest of the way to the stage. He takes his spot next to Effie and stares off into the distance. I notice his eyes flicker to the screens with his face flashing across them, and the short lived flash of pleasure when he sees how well he is masking his emotions. The same I did this time a year ago.

This reminds me of what else happened to me a year ago and I rise to my feet, press the three middle fingers of my left hand to my lips and hold them to the sky in his direction. He notices this gesture in the cameras and bites his bottom lip.

At first it looks as if no one will follow. That they expect me to detonate before their very eyes. Then, Prim steps out of the rows, into the aisle, holding Posy by the hand, and presses her fingers to the sky. Then Rory does the same with Vick, and Madge steps up to do the same. Others seem to recognize what happened last time this gesture was offered and shrink back into their rows, but us six stand, unfazed by the threat that we are knowingly invoking.

I drop my hand and take my seat, Prim, Posy, Rory, Vick, and Madge do the same.

"Well then... Time for the treaty of treason I suppose," Effie stutters.

It just passes. I can't think about it anymore than that for fear of crying. I sit in the dinning cart of the train, waiting for him to finish saying good bye to his family.

"What an interesting batch this year, that girl... she won't make it, but that young man, he has a chance at it now doesn't he," Effie rambles.

"Gale, his name is Gale," I glare at her, practically spitting the words.

I slam my glass onto the table and make my way to the cart the tributes will enter through.

"Hmph, nice, that kids her best friend ya' know," Haymitch chuckles on my way out.

I pace back and forth in the entrance for a few moments until I collapse against a wall. I lean forwards, my head in my hands, elbows rested on the wooden paneling.

DAMN IT! I think, sending a fist into the wall. It shakes the whole car and sends me into a frenzy of emotions, before I settle on determined. Determined that Gale will be the victor. Every thing in the world will be stacked against him. President Snow will have given specific demands to make sure he didn't survive. But, if I have anything to do with it he will. He will be victor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Katniss' POV:**

I am just managing to gather myself when the girl tribute walks through the door, followed by several peace keepers, then Gale. I bite my bottom lip as the peace keepers close and lock the doors, and the girl stumbles into the dining cart with chocked sobs wracking her body.

I look up into his eyes and open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to it.

"I know,"

"What?"

"You're going to say sorry, then bite your lip and try not to cry, then we go eat dinner like it isn't extremely awkward,"

"No, that's next," I manage a slight chuckle.

He doesn't have a response to this, only the slight tip of his head.

"I was going to say, I'm sorry-"

"That's what I sa-"

"Let me finish. I was going to say, I'm sorry, I'm the reason you got reaped,"

"Katniss, that's impossible,"

"No, it isn't. You think any of this is just a coincidence?" I ask, motioning to the walls surrounding us. "No, none of it, it's all because of me and those stupid berries!"

"Katniss, that isn't true,"

"Yes, it is! Because he couldn't touch me without an uprising, Prim would have been too big of a coincidence, and you were the only one left,"

I'm near tears, realizing just how real this is, that there is no chance for him to survive.

Then, he steps forward and pulls me into a hug. I have hugged Gale exactly once. Ever. When I was about to get on this train myself last year. Funny how history seems to be repeating it self.

"Katniss, it wasn't your fault, you did what you had to do to survive, anyone would have done the same thing," He whispers.

"No, anyone else would have chosen who would live and who would die and just stabbed one of us,"

"Katniss, you did what you thought was right, you didn't know that it would lead to all this,"

"I should have figured it would,"

He lets go of me, sighs and slides down the wall, crouching at it's base, head in hands.

"Just forget we had this conversation, it isn't your fault, that's all that matters,"

"Yeah, well, we did have this conversation, and I'm not letting it go,"

"Fine, but I'm starving, lets finish this after dinner,"

This makes me chuckle, he was _not_ starving. I have seen him starving multiple times, he wasn't this reasonable.

He pulled himself up, then lead the way into the dining car.

Right before he opened the door, I thought I heard a slight whisper, as if speaking to himself.

I'm pretty sure he said, "Don't ya miss them good old days when all we had to worry about was starving?"

So true.

He pushed the door open and walked into the next cart, me following closely behind.

-0-

The dinning cart had a spread of food, ranging from the exotic stew I had come to love, to the basket of bread from each district.

The girl's eyes were the size of saucers, her jaw slightly slackened, and sobs reduced to the slightest sniffles. She stood in front of the table, directly in front of the doorway, as Effie chatted on to Cinna and Portia about the newest styles in the capitol.

"Excuse me" I say softly, brushing past her, Gale trailing behind me.

This seems to bring her back to earth and she side steps a little.

"Come here," I say.

Upon further examination I can tell that she is most likely twelve, even with her starving body, she is small in stature, maybe thirteen at the most. Though her hair and eyes were different colors, and was much worse fed, her face reminded me a good deal of Prim. Abandoning hope on her to save Gale will be harder than I thought.

I take her hand in mine and guide her to the table.

Effie had already taken the head of the table, the two stylist flanking her. Peeta was sitting next to Portia, his stylist from last year, and I take the seat next to Cinna, motioning for the girl to take the one next to me. This forces Gale to sit next to Peeta, across from the girl he is destined to kill._ That's what you get when you cut off my rant. _I think.

"You may serve yourselves," Effie announces.

This makes the girl turn her head to me, mouth moving, no words coming out of it, eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, it's all for us," I answer her unasked question, "And there is more, this is just the first course,"

Her face lights up in hope and anticipation.

"But, take it easy the first few meals, it can sit heavy in the stomach,"

I start serving myself, and see that everyone else has started passing around the platters and requesting different dishes from the avoxs.

The young girl just sits there though, staring wide eyed at the food, as if waiting permission to eat. I lean over next to her ear, "You can have whatever you want, you don't have to wait for anyone,"

At this note, she looks at me as if making sure I wasn't joking, then lift the spoon to the lamb stew and pours a small spoonful onto the plate. She repeats this with each dish until the plate is heaped with food.

I glance at Gale to see him getting seconds.

"Don't eat so much, you'll be sorry tonight, trust me,"

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"I've spent the better part of my life starving, you put me in front of a huge buffet of the best food in the world, then tell me not to eat much,"

The table goes quiet, Effie quirking an eyebrow at him. If there is one thing I know you don't talk about on this train, it's home. For one, this place is bugged, full of hidden microphones and cameras, and for two, there are two people in it that are getting ready to be thrown into an arena to never see their home again.

The girls eyes well up a bit, and another fracture shoots through my heart at this.

"Just try not to get sick," I mutter, fairly pissed at him for making her cry. Or close to it at least.

Peeta and I each finish our first plate, then push them back, determined not to get sick like last time. The girl can't even finish her first serving without getting a little green. Gale, on the other hand, managed to hold four plates, plus desert without looking the least bit sick.

"So, they should be playing back the reapings in about five minutes, we should go to the TV room," Cinna says.

"Good idea," Effie agrees, always anxious not to be late.

We all get up and walk into the next car over. This year they added another couch in front of the TV, since there is no way that all seven of us will fit on one. Actualy, it will be a tight squeeze with just the two couches anyways. I sit down as close to the edge of on as I can, pulling the girl down next to me. She slumps back into the deep plush cushions as I do. Even in the victor's village it isn't this nice, and you never do get used to the feeling of sitting on a cloud.

Effie sits next to her, with Portia on her other side. Cinna takes the middle set between Peeta and Gale. _Good idea._ I want to tell him. In a few minutes the screen flashes on, and playbacks of all the other tributes being reaped coming to life in front of us. Some look frightened, some look triumphant, others look like they are about to throw up on the spot. As usual, both tributes from one and two are volunteers, along with three others from different districts. Most of the others look just as small, starved, and frightened as usual.

Then comes on District 12's reaping. I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment. I pick up that the girl's name was Poppy Thurman. When they called Gale's name I teared up again, but never actually spilled a tear. And when the treaty of treason is done, instead of the usual handshake, Gale pulled her into a hug.

I looked at him at his point, but don't say anything. Either way, I know what angle we are going to play them at.

-0-

After the required viewing is over, I walk back into the entrance cart, he follows wordlessly.

"So?"

"It's my fault, so I'm going to make sure that I do everything I can to get you out alive,"

"Okay,"

There is a long, awkward silence, followed by a sigh.

"She reminded you of Posy, didn't she,"

"And Prim,"

"Okay, we know what we're doing then,"

I turn to walk away, figuring that I wanted to tell them all together at the table for breakfast tomorrow morning.

"Wh-"

"I'll explain tomorrow,"

And with that, I went into my personal train car for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Katniss' POV**

"Priiiim!"

I was heaving with effort to keep running, but no matter how far or fast I ran, she ws still out of reach. If only I could run faster. Prim was just standing there, every ive seconds or so another spasm of pain would wrack her body as the stun gun connected to her flesh again.

"K-K-Katniss," She barely whispered.

Her breathing was shaky at best, and her heart was barely working after the repeated shocks, but she was a fighter.

"I'm coming Prim, hold on!"

A hand slammed down onto my shoulder. I spun and sent an upper cut into the owner's jaw.

"Well, well, well," President Snow's bloodied lips cackled.

I sent a quick knee into his liver, then continued to run for Prim, only, now, she was a lifeless form on the floor. She was still breathing, but only just. Another shock jolted through her body, and every muscle tensed.

A hand shook my shoulder again, only when I turned to punch Snow again, he wasn't there. No one was. I swung out a random punch anyways, and my fist connected with something, followed by a quick yelp.

"Katniss, wake up, it's just a dream,"

I blink a few times, than snap up into a sitting position.

He's right. I'm in my bedroom on the tribute train, going to the capitol with Gale and Poppy. Prim is safe at home, and Snow is probably laying back on a three foot thick mattress dreaming about killing me and scattering my gut for vultures.

"P-p-prim,"

"Prim's safe at home,"

"Now, maybe,"

"Snow can't hurt Prim, she's safe,"

"Yes he can. He can hurt anyone he wants to,"

"Katniss," He looks down at me, slowly shaking his head, then flicking his eyes up to a small black dot int the corner of the ceiling. A camera.

I twitch my head ever so slightly into a nod, then bury my head into his side. He pulled the blanket up over my shoulder- which were shaking- and asked if I wanted him to stay.

"Yeah, of course,"

He leans back against the headboard and I sink deeper into the covers.

"I have an idea of what we can play Gale and Poppy as in the arena," I try to make some type of conversation.

There is no way that I am going back to sleep anytime soon. Possibly not even tonight.

"What is it?"

"I was going to tell everyone during breakfast tomorrow,"

"Okay, you should get some sleep then, you don't need to plan out everything tonight,"

I sigh, but know he's right. I just don't want to face that night mare again. He seems to notice this.

"It's alright, if you start to scream I'll wake you up,"

I grin, then collapse back down onto the bed into a deep and -thankfully -dreamless sleep.

-0-

I tried to wake up early to try and get to the dining room and eat before anyone else showed up. That plan failed miserably due to my lack of sleep the night before. When I woke up, it was to Effie's knocking, asking why I was late for breakfast.

"Katniss, Katniss, where have you been, are you still asleep?" She shouts through the door.

"Not anymore," I groan.

Effie lets out a small huff before continuing on.

"And have you seen Peeta, he isn't in the dining area either.

_Damn it!_ I curse myself.

"Uh, no, I haven't seen him since dinner,"

I roll over and shake Peeta awake, then run around like crazy trying to get myself put together.

"What happened?" He asks when he sees my frenzied actions.

"Late for breakfast,"

"Oh... Did Effie-"

"Yeah, but she didn't come in. You need to go now, just hurry,"

After he left, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair back into a braid before starting down the hallway to the dining area.

-0-

By the time I was in there, everyone else was already sitting down eating, including Peeta. So much for an early arrival.

I helped myself to a large portion of the lamb and rice stew I have come to love through my few ventures on a capitol train.

"So," Gale started.

"What?"

"You said something about what we are going to do about... something,"

"Yeah, um, well we need an angle to work the two of you at in the arena, and I had an idea,"

"What is it?"

"You said she reminded you of Prim and Posy, right,"

He nodded slowly. Eyeing me, trying to see what I was getting at.

"That's why you hugged her,"

"Wha-"

"You're going to be together in the arena. It seems to work well, and it makes the perfect image for you to be brotherly,"

"So, we're supposed to stick together?"

"No... you don't have to, I know I'm going to die, you don't have to deal with me until then," Poppy mutters, looking down at her plate, sliding little balls of melon around it.

"Don't talk like that, less qualified people have won before,"

"Yeah, but all them had some type of secret talent. Like killing people, like Johanah Mason,"

"Yeah, but you may have a useful talent in the arena,"

"But not a lifetime of practice,"

"Anything could be useful in the arena,"

"Look, don't sugar coat it, I'm dead meat, I'm not taking him with me," She tips her head across the table at Gale.

"No, but I'm not going to die knowing that I didn't even try to save you," Gale interrupts.

"Um, I think I have to side with Poppy on this. Only one wins, the whole partnership thing is going to blow up in their faces once they're in the arena," Peeta says.

"Worked for us,"

"Yeah, but that was... different,"

"Look, I'm just a liability, even at home, I was just another mouth to feed, in the arena, I could be is death sentence," Poppy argues.

"Then it's his choice," I settle, "But remember, if people like you as a person in general, you get more sponsors than if they just think you can kill the best. There is a big difference between those who people _want_ to win, and who those _think_ will win, and the amount of sponsors they get. Between the two of you, you could cover both,"

"Then it's settled, an alliance," Gale declares.

"Seriously?" Poppy questions.

"Yeah, I'm not going to die thinking that I just let you die,"

"Um... okay,"

"So, that said, I'm assuming you don't mind being trained together?"

"Sure,"

"Fine by me,"

"Okay, today training officially starts. You're going to go down there, never leave each other's side, and don't make any friends. A friend is more dangerous than an enemy, remember that,"

They both nodded in agreement, though I knew that Gale already knew this.

"Don't give away any of your secret talents or skills. Gale, no archery, knife throwing, knots or snares. Poppy, no rope or obstacle courses. Anything that involves climbing or squeezing through small spaces. If you want to teach the other a new skill, or if one of you wants to do something the other is good at, just make sure that you don't show off, or even do it at all. If nothing else, look as bad as possible,"

They nodded again, hopefully out of comprehension, not just prayers that I don't repeat my mini rant again.

"And don't go looking for a fight,"

I direct this final command at Gale. He nods, but I can see a vicious glare in his eyes, the look he wears when he spots an especially large kill, like a deer.

"Just lay low," I demand.

He raises an eyebrow at me.

"In training _and_ the arena. If you can let other people get in fights and kill each other, and give each other injuries, let them, it makes your job that much easier,"

He gives a short chuckle. I wouldn't be surprised if he did something like I with the berries just to show them that he could, that he wasn't part of their little game. If he does, I'll kill him myself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Katniss' POV:**

"Tonight is the opening ceremony, make sure you are all ready on time!" Effie instructs.

Right after breakfast the prep teams come in and whisk them away. I follow Poppy in to offer what little moral support I am capable of, but mostly to talk to Cinna about a few thing I was wondering about.

"Just do what ever they tell you. You probably won't like any of it, and some of it will hurt, but just go along with it," I tell her.

This gets a few quizzical looks from the prep team, as if wondering why on earth anyone wouldn't do exactly what they said for fashion.

I rock back and forth on the balls of my feet for a few seconds, but when they start to take her clothes, I excuse myself and go into the back door where I'm pretty sure Cinna will be.

"Cinna? Cinna?" I call through the hallway. I poke my head into a few rooms of mannequins and fabric before I find his office.

"Oh, Katniss, what are you doing here?" He asks, as he gets up to shake my hand.

"Um, well, I was wondering what I'm supposed to do at the ceremony, I just like sit there right?"

"You will be back stage with all the tributes, watching them on a screen, you don't have to worry about seeing any people or cameras.

I let out a little breath I had been holding and grin. No people. That's good, because I was going to be a wreck tonight.

On my way out, I noticed that Poppy had been put in that bubbly bath that scrubs off several layers of skin, she was biting her lip and glimpsed up at me with a _What The Heck is Wrong With These People_ look. I mouth sorry back to her, but quickly make my way out, not wanting to see her once they drag her out of the tub.

The thing I didn't know: I was next. Apparently the mentors have to get dressed up for the walk from the car to the chariots. That's the capitol for you. After Poppy was done with the prep team, and Cinna had come to see her, I had been told to go to the prep center. I had first peeked through, just to make sure that they were done with Poppy. She was sitting on a couch in a cotton robe, snacking on a plate of chicken and and exotic seasonings with Cinna.

"You're right through that door, Katniss," He smiled and pointed towards a door that I hadn't noticed before.

I pulled it open and stepped into a room almost identical to Poppy's, only this one had several photographs of the different victors around it. Since I was the only girl from 12 to ever win the Hunger Games, I was surrounding with pictures of myself. There were photographs from the chariots, in the arena, during interviews, tours, and even a few of me on trains.

My prep team made their way in, with loud exclamations about everything from the latest hair color, to dinner parties, to Poppy. I completely zoned out for the better part of this, but still caught some bits of the conversation while they were busy scrubbing the top few layers of my skin off, or filling nails, or doing my hair. When they were finally done, I was guided to a dressing room where I met Cinna.

"Ready?" He asks.

"Yeah, I guess," I sigh.

I would never get used to the constant dress up game that is life in the Capitol.

He pulled the black cover off the garment bag he had carried in to reveal a shimmering blouse and tan leather pants. Functional, yet girly. Worked pretty well for my character. The pants looked tight, but must have had some type of elastic in them because they were still fairly comfortable. The shirt looked like it was made of similar material as the dress I wore to the victor's dinner last year, only it was a striking maroon. Dark, like he heart of a fire. The shoes were heels, to my dismay, but they weren't a spike heel, so I could still walk without tripping over every last thing possible. They were the same tan leather as the pants, with the straps criss-crossing back and forth up to my ankle. At each spot where two straps crossed, a tiny red gem held them in place. My hair would be left down in my signature braid, with no emblishments, and the makeup was light, to Capitol standards at least, with a black eyeliner and maroon lipstick. Considering this was he first time I had been granted my wish for pants, I was able to work with the heels.

-0-

After we arrived at the square, I realized that the heels were a much bigger compromise than I had thought. I spent most of the time clinging despratly to either Peeta or some type of railing. It had recently rained and the cobblestone was slippery, and the shoes her almost no traction. Once int the stable, I realized that Poppy and Gale were going to have a much different effect than Peeta and I had. For starters, the horses were still coal black, but their harnesses were studded with diamonds. I understood why when Poppy stepped out. Her dress was beautiful. It was a black, skintight, knee length slip, covered with a mesh made of diamonds. And, just along the hem, there were a few little red, gold and orange gems. Like I had rubbed off a bit of my success on her.

Gale's was very different. His was more of a warrior outfit. It was solid black, with large plates over his shoulders, elbows, and knees. He had the occasional diamond stud, but his were more like spines of the rock, instead of gemstones. Cinna and Portia helped them up and positioned them so that his arms were wrapped protectively over her shoulders. She was told to wave and look hospitable, while he was told to look protective and hostile. It was like their outfits, similar in the theme, but completely different routs of getting there.

As the chariots filled out, I gave them a final wave before they exited the doors, then I turned to the screens. There was one for each chariot, one showing the crowd, and one showing whatever the main screens around the square were showing. At first, the main screens skipped back and forth between the different chariots as usual, until Cinna started the light show. Poppy's dress came to life as the tiny fiber optic threads lit up the diamonds. They started at the hem, first in the subtlest gold, then moves up, in darker and darker colors, until it looked like the whole dress was a smoldering ember. Once her dress was engulfed in the fake flames, the diamond sent little bits off light dancing across the ground near the chariot, and a few little electronic embers lit the bottom half of Gale's sleeves, shimmering and flickering. Just as the cameras were about to turn away, the gems on the horses' bridle lit. The further away they got from the chariot, the dimmer they got. Now, she wasn't on fire, but more so, radiating. I would always be the one and only girl on fire, but she was a flickering ember, ready to step up when needed. Gale was guarding her, making sure that that little flicker of hope didn't go out. I knew he would never leave her until she was dead. In that arena, anything goes. Packs come and go, very few stay until death. Very few defend each other with their life. He would. He would never leave Prim, or Posy... or Poppy.

It is going to be impossible to let this girl die. But if she lives, Gale won't. And Gale is here because of me, so I have a debt to repay. Poppy just had bad luck, Gale got his death sentence through my doings, not his own. _I have to save Gale. I have to save Gale. I have to save Gale. _I repeat the mantra to myself. _I do. It has to be Gale._ _He has to win._

-0-

After the opening ceremony, Gale, Poppy, Effie, Peeta, and I went back to the tower for dinner. We ate, and went to bed. The conversation over dinner was sparse once I had finished going over a few tactics. I had the usual nightmares that night, and Peeta came in once I started screaming and stayed with me 'till I went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Katniss POV:**

After breakfast we head down to the training center. Poppy is mesmerized by the elevator, intently watching the people on the ground grow, then disappear, as we shot down to the basement. Once there, we all got off into a large, airy, waiting area. Most of the other tributes were there, but there were still a few missing. I was surprised that the had let us this far, last year we had left our mentors at the elevator. Now, we stood with the other tributes, mentors, and escorts, along with enough peace keepers for a small army.

"Okay, remember what I told you?"

Poppy and Gale both nod, but neither look me in the eye, instead scanning the room for their competition. I begin to do the same, and realize once again how real this is. This year Cinna and Portia hadn't dressed them identically, but instead done the same general design in different colors. They were in dark jumpsuits, very high tech, designed to wick away sweat. Poppy's was a deep redish color, with a tint of a pinkish purpleish and black accents. Appropriate to her name. Gale is in a navy blue suit with the same black accents. Appropriate to his personality.

I notice Poppy's eyes twitching frantically between two of the most heavily muscled tributes. I take her hand in mine and rub circles on her shoulder like I used to with Prim.

The head trainer walks in and introduces himself and gives the same speech as last year, then asks the tributes to follow him into the training room. Poppy once again looks frantic at this, eyes twitching this way and that, as if, once in a room full of weapons, the careers will start chucking spears at her. Gale sees this, and takes her hand in his. Hers is almost completely engulfed by his. He gives her a quick grin, and grabs her opposite shoulder in a little half-hug gesture.

"It's all right, no one can hurt you now," He says, barely loud enough to be audible through the room.

They then walk through the door, into the training center.

-0-

Once they have all left, we are guided into a separate room full of monitors and television screens, playing different angles of the training center. Everyone else started sitting in front of one of the monitors, under large red numbers displaying the numbers of the districts. I took a seat in front of the District 12 ones and Peeta pulled up a seat next to me.

"Do you see them?" I ask.

"Yeah, right there," Peeta replies.

He points to one of the edible plants stations, and the computer zooms in.

"Woah!" We both exclaim.

I lean forwards and slide my finger across the air a few inches in front of the screen and the image follows. I tap over Poppy's face and it zooms in.

"Awesome!" I whisper.

After the first hour, we have stopped playing with the controls and set it to follow Gale and Poppy around the center. We had dug up some paper and a pencil and, as I pointed things out, Peeta wrote them down.

During the tributes lunch break, another buffet was brought into our little office space. The monitors were still on, but there wasn't much to watch, so we got a few plates of food and settled down on the floor in our cubicle.

"So, 1 and 2 look like the biggest threats, as usual, but I also want to keep an eye on the boy from 8 and the girls from 4 and 7,"

"Okay," He says, then reaches down to put a star next to each of them.

I take a bite of the bright purple melon off of one of the plates sitting between us.

He looks up at me, and raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

I sigh, "I think that's it,"

I had been spouting every last thing I could pick up off each and every tribute. Which hand they favored, and which foot they stepped with first, to people's favorite weapons, and skill sets. I was almost positive that the girl from seven was faking weakness, the way she held the weapons with familiarity, and how the instructor didn't have to guide her in the technique and how she never hit the target, but always hit something else subtle, like a crack in the wall paneling or a sign. It made her look completely hopeless, but I could tell she was aiming for them, it was the way she held herself with the weapon. Comfortable, not holding it out to the side like some newbies do.

"Good, you deserve a break," He says.

I roll my eyes, in the process catching a glimpse at the screen. A group has formed at a table, mostly careers, with a few other larger than average people in the mix. I jump up, then lean over to Peeta and whisper in his ear the district number and gender of each of them, asking him to note a possible alliance between them. This makes _him_ roll _his_ eyes. I take one last glance, noting that Gale and Poppy were sitting together on the opposite side of the room from everyone else, chatting like old friends, then turn back to Peeta and sit down to finish lunch.

**AN: Yeah, it's kinda short, and I really want to know if I should continue or not, please R&R. If I don't get reviews I'm just gonna take it down. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Katniss' POV:**

"So, how do you think you did today?" I ask, trying to make conversation over dinner.

After lunch they had stuck with the same general tactics of learning new skills and downplaying themselves dramatically.

"I like the edible plants station," Poppy says, trying just as hard as I to make conversation and stop the staring contest between Peeta and Gale.

"Good, and you?" I point my question towards Gale.

"Yeah, it was mostly stuff I recognized, but there were a few plants I had never seen before,"

"Mhmm, and I want Poppy to get some type of training in defense or some type of weapon, so while she does that, just find something you've never used before and practice next to her,"

"Okay," He answers simply.

"You should probably go for a ranged weapon that is small and easy to conceal like knife throwing,"

"Okay... what if I can't get a knife in the arena though?" She asks.

"Gale can show you how to make a makeshift blade from a rock, just don't do it in the training center, we don't want to give anyone else ideas,"

They both nod and turn back to their dinner plates.

"Oh, and we will start preparing you for your interviews in a few days, so be ready," Effie trills.

"How do you prepare for an interview?" Gale asks with an undertone of disgust.

"You will need to learn about manners, posture, how to walk, what to discus, how to play you character, what you will be wearing, how to respond to certain questions. There is plenty of things you will have to learn about," Effie concludes her mini-rant.

Gale raises an eyebrow and looks to me.

"Trust me, it's a million times worse than it sounds. Just go along with whatever they tell you and don't complain about the prep team," I advise.

If there is one thing I don't do, that's sugar coat anything. When I got called into the games, I told Prim that I would try, but not to get her hopes up. I didn't try to tell her everything would be alright. I told her everything that would need to be done. When Gale came to say good bye that time, I didn't say I would win. I said I would try, but not to bet on me. I told him to take care of Prim and that I hoped it worked out.

I wasn't about to stop now. The prep for the games is hell on earth, whereas the actual games are the literal fire and brimstone- hell.

Effie glares at me, but quickly turns back to a perky squeal to complete her announcement.

"I will of course be teaching posture, manners, and positioning. Katniss and Peeta are going to explain your charters, discussion points and answering questions, and your stylists and assistants are going to show you your outfits and get you ready as usual,"

Gale glares at her, then Peeta, then looks down to his plate.

"But first there's the private training sessions," I try to change to subject.

He looks up at me with a questioning look.

"For the training scores?" He asks.

"Yeah, you need to figure out what to do,"

"Any suggestions?" Poppy asks.

"Do whatever they don't expect you to," I advise, and leave it at that.

A smile crawls across Gale's face as he cooks up a plan.

"And don't do whatever you're thinking of right now," I glare at he across the table.

"You don't even know what it is?" He defends.

I ignore him, walking out of the dinning room, leaving my half eaten plate on the table as Effie calls my name.

-0-

After dinner the next day we all pile into the TV room and I make sure to sandwich myself between Cinna and Poppy again. What can I say, if I get the urge to strangle someone, it will most likely be Gale, and he can fight back. Besides, I'm actually starting to enjoy Poppy a lot more than I should be.

Training scores scroll by with their pictures and commentary by Caesar and Claudius until we make it to the District 12 tributes.

"And wow, would you look at that, the young man from twelve scored a ten, Caesar! Now how did he do that?" Claudius exclaims.

"I've looked at footage from the group training sessions and didn't see anything particularly note worthy," Caesar wonders, completely baffled.

"And onto his district partner, who got... a nine! Now what could that little girl do in there?"

I turn to Gale.

"What did you do?"

"Archery, knife throwing, knots, snares, edible plants, first aid and some ropes courses,"

"You are kidding me, right?"

"No, why?"

"They didn't dismiss you before that?"

"No, a lot of it was simultaneous. Like, climbing an obstical course with all the weapons and a hundred pounds of weight then throwing knifes and shooting some stuff,"

"But... even then, they have the attention span of a five year old. What else did you do?" I ask again, growing suspicious.

I mean, this is Gale we are talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"Gale. What did you do?" I ask.

I'm past suspicions on this, I know he did something in there.

"I... may have studded the ceiling around the force field with alternating arrows and knifes. And I could have shot out every light in the room in under thirty seconds,"

I glare at him, not believing that was all he did, but unable to challenge him.

"And you Poppy?"

"I just swung around on some bars with knifes and threw them while I spun,"

"And hit your targets?"

"Yeah,"

I nod in approval. I had noted her knife throwing skills in training but never thought they were that good.

"Good job,"

"Ooh, you both did wonderful! We might actually have a chance at it this year! Think of it, the first time ever for District Twelve to win two consecutive years!" Effie trills.

"I'm glad we're going to be a good career boost for you, Effie," Gale grumbles before getting up and walking out of the room.

"Well that was very rude of him," Effie comments.

I get up and turn to go along with Peeta and Poppy.

On our way out the door, an Avox stops Peeta and I and ushers us around a corner.

When we stop, it is in a small, white room with a glass door and a phone. We weren't given phones in our rooms for some reason.

Peeta steps forward and picks it up.

His eyes widen and he turns to me.

"It's Haymitch. Says he needs to talk to you, that I wouldn't understand it,"

My I feel my eyes grow and my jaw drop.

It's no secret that Peeta is Haymitch's favorite. The only time he specifically asks for me is when it has some double meaning. Like the gifts in the arena, or his comments on how stuffy the train was when he needed to get away from the bugs to talk to me.

This was big if he was calling the capitol.


	7. Chapter 7

**Katniss' POV:**

The day before the interview we congregate in the dining room for breakfast as usual, only now there is a certain tenseness in the air.

"So, first you will each spend an hour with Katniss ans Peeta that will be split up as they see fit. Then one of you will go to your stylist and the other will talk to me, then we will switch. Normally that part takes about two to three hours."

"Two to three _hours_ to get dressed?" Poppy's eyes are pleading and her mouth is hanging open.

"Yeah, sorry. They are going to do pretty much the same stuff as for the opening ceremony, only different hair and makeup and clothes and stuff," I make a lame attempt a reassurance.

The rest of the breakfast goes by without any conversation. Even Effie is fairly quiet, probably going over a mental list of everything that will have to be taught to _those barbaric children_ as she calls them.

At the end of the meal I stand and take Poppy's hand.

"You're better with the questions and character in general, but I know these specific roles better, so we should probably both do seperate training and then see how it woks together," I tell Peeta, "I'll take Poppy and do private training for the first forty-five minutes, and you take Gale, then we switch, then for the last forty-five we work together," I instruct.

Gale raises an eyebrow at me, and Peeta has a look of shock when he turns to look at me.

"We'll meet back here at 9:15,"

With that I turn and walk away, leading Poppy down the hall into my bedroom.

"So, you're going to be playing scared, shy, but cute little sister. I've already talked to Cinna and Portia about all this and they made the designs to match,"

"Mhmm," She nods, laying across the huge bed in the center of the room.

"So, do you have any siblings?"

"Yes. An older brother and three little sisters,"

"How old are they?"

"Briar is sixteen, Shasta is ten, and Aster and Azalea are four,"

"So, you're all named after wildflowers," I mumble to myself.

"Yeah," She whispers.

"So are my sister and I. Well. She is. Primrose. Katniss is just a root,"

"Fits you. Practical,"

I nod.

"She's the one you volunteered for, right,"

"Yeah. She wouldn't have made it. She would have stopped every time she saw someone dying and try to heal them. Even in the middle of a bloodbath. It's her nature. Who am I kidding, she would have stopped to save a squirrel caught in a snare!"

"Too soft. Too kind hearted,"

"Yeah,"

"I'm going to die aren't I,"

I look at her, tears ebbing their way into my eyes.

"Maybe. But you have Gale. He isn't going to leave you unless _you're_ better off without _him_,"

Before she could answer or argue there is a loud shattering noise next door.

"What the hell?" I mutter and run for the door.

Next door is where Peeta and Gale are supposed to be talking about the interview. I know they don't get along together well at all, but I have to admit, I was in a bad mood. I have been told to relax and hat I'm too tense multiple times in the past few days by both of them and I'm a bit pissed.

"What the hell did you do!" I scream as I push open the door.

Gale is picking pieces of glass out of his arm and Peeta is pressing the end of his sleeve to his lip. They both look up at my sudden outburt and I notice Peeta is defiantly going to have a black eye within the hour.

"Gale!" I shout, narrowing my eyes to slits.

"Why do you assume I started it?" he shouts back.

"Because I know he didn't," I nod my head in Peeta's direction.

"Oh my," Effie's voice comes in through the doorway.

"Call the medic," I demand, then turn quickly back to Gale.

"What did you do?"

"How's about you ask him?"

He cringes as he pulls out a particularly long shard of glass.

"What happened," I say, trying very hard to sound less angry.

It still comes out pretty seriously irritated, but at least I'm no longer shouting.

"I shoved him into the vase and he punched me,"

"You just randomly decided to push him into a vase?"

"No, I didn't know the vase was there and he provoked it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some ice,"

He walks out of the room as Effie leads the medic in.

"Over here, I don't know what happened," She tells the avox.

"It didn't have anything to do with the other tributes. That's all that matters. Effie, you can go now,"

"Well, I _am_ his escort. I can't just leave after he's been hurt."

"Yeah you can, just walk out the door,"

She has this ridiculous appalled look on her face like 'You just said that to _me_' but after a few seconds she walks out, though she does so as slow as humanly possible.

"What did you say?" I ask Gale once it is only us and the avox.

"Nothing that isn't true,"

"What did you say?" I ask again through gritted teeth.

"Look, he didn't win. You did. And I'm not going to start taking directions from him!"

Every emotion seems to mix into one, anger. Once when my mother was talking to a disturbed man from a mine explosion she said that anger was a secondary emotion to guilt, sadness, betrayal, or almost any other bad feeling. All I know now all I want to do is hit him.

"You. Shut. Up."

"Why? It's true! You won, he wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for you!"

"Shut up right now."

He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again, then turns to look at his arm.

"I'll talk to Portia about getting you something short sleeved for the interview,"

"Why?"

"So people can see your arm,"

"Why is that good?"

"It makes it look like you got in a fight with another tribute before the games,"

"But that's illegal, shouldn't I be hiding it?"

"They can't do anything without proof, and they can't just go back and pick up another tribute, so better yet, you didn't get caught,"

He nods, but doesn't say anything one way or the other. I remember when Haymitch told Peeta the same thing last year about the bruise on his jaw.

"Good bye," I say tersely and walk out without waiting for a reply.

-0-

Honestly, I couldn't care much less about the length of his sleeves, he has enough scars either way so that no matter how much skin is showing, it is evident that he is tough. All I really wanted was an excuse to go see Cinna. No matter if he is from the capitol or not, there is something about him that just makes it feel like he cares. I'm not sure if he is just a great actor or truly cares about me, but I really hope it was the second. And if I was lucky, he would be with Portia right now.

"Hey, Katniss, come to look at the designs?" Portia greets me upon entering her office.

"Um, yeah,"

I look around the gigantic room at the mounds of fabric and the machines and boxes and pads of paper with designs or notes scrawled on them. And right in the middle are two mannequin and two designers. Cinna and Portia are adding some of what appear to be the finishing touches to the ensemble.

"Wow," Is all I can say.

"You like them?"

"Of course, these are amazing!"

"Good, as the mentors you and Peeta have to sign off on them,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you would be surprised at what some of the mentors have signed for,"

"Like?"

"69th? Chariot ceremony? District 12?"

"Oh, yeah. Haymitch signed for that?"

That had been the year the tributes had been naked and covered in coal dust.

"We weren't the designers then, but he must have if they rode out in them,"

"But, we never signed for the chariot costumes,"

"Effie signed for you,"

"She can do that?"

"It's hard to stop Effie once she's set her mind to something,"

I nod, knowing exactly what they mean. Effie is just one of those people who it would take an atomic bomb to stop.

"But these are wonderful," I say, gesturing to the mannequins.

"Thank you," Cinna and Portia say simultaneously.

Gale's was all black, a skintight short sleeve black t-shirt with a dark graysuit jacket with black and white pinstripes and black denim pants with black converse and laces. Not as high class or dressed up as most of the other tributes would be, but it somehow added to the tough guy look that would be getting him sponsors. Poppy's on the other hand was very girly and childish. It was a knee length, white dress with a slightly puffy skirt with tiny little diamond gems scattered across the skirt. The top look similar to a blouse with tiny white buttons going up the front and a little curved collar that wasn't even an inch long and layed down against the dress instead of coming up.

"The raquette collar and the buttons up the front along with the coloration help create a sense of innocence, while the diamonds add the classy look people expect during the interviews. Most of the other girls will either be in mini-skirts or full length gowns, depending upon the character, this will stand out as being a bit more down to earth and more simple against the extravagance of the other tributes. And finished off with a black rose hair clip should tie it in nicely to Gale," Cinna explains.

"And Gale's outfit is very relaxed, but still very tough, without appearing ratty. The suit jacket makes it look a bit higher class, but he will still be very under dressed compared to all the other male tributes who will most likely be in suits. This brings him to the same level as Poppy, but his isn't very earthy, it's more so... a protector," Portia describes.

"Good. You both did great. They are going to stand out in the opposite way anyone expected, which will make them stand out more,"

They both smile at each other.

"Exactly," They say.

* * *

**AN: This one is a bit longer, hope you liked it! Please review! If you don't, I'll kill off all the characters one by one! And I'm starting with Gale and Poppy! Mwahahahaha! REVIEW! NOW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Katniss POV:**

"I'm sorry Poppy, but we're just going to skip to group training, we only have like fifteen minutes left anyways,"

"That's fine, I kinda' wanted to see Gale anyways,"

"Does he remind you of your brother?" I inquire.

"Not really. Briar is a drunk. He had a different father than my sisters and I and had just moved out about a year ago after he got a job in the mines. Gale is more like the older brother I always wanted for myself and my sisters,"

"Just don't take any temperament tips from him," I snort.

"I take that as he started the fight with Peeta?"

"Kinda. He provoked it but Peeta pushed him first,"

"Oh," She looks at the ground and shuffles her feet.

"I'm sorry,"

"For what? It isn't your fault,"

"No, I guess I'm apologizing for Gale. He has... a lot of stress on him all things considered,"

I press my lips together and furrow my brow as I tilt my head back in thought, letting out a sigh.

"Like what?"

I let out another heavy breath before I continue.

"His father was killed in the same mine explosion as mine. He already had a two little brothers and his mother was pregnant with a girl at the time. I just have my sister Prim. Both our mothers went into depression after our father's deaths and we took over as heads of our families since he was thirteen, me since I was eleven. We met by chance and our families are really close since we started working together to feed them six years ago. We used to joke around, saying we were practically the parents, and that they were all _our_ kids. Six if you include our mothers. Eight mouths. He hated taking help from anyone, much less a girl two years younger than him. He always made us split it fifty fifty, he would never take enough for the whole family," I'm muttering by the end of my monologue and realize all the frustration I've taken out on her, "Oh. Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry Poppy, I shouldn't have worried you with all that," I try to take back all I had just said.

It isn't necessarily that I don't want _her_ to know our past, but just that I don't want others in general to know too much about me. It's easier to blackmail people if you have more information on them. And that type of stuff just spreads, no matter who you told it to. Plus, friends are more dangerous than an enemy. You want to help them, you get killed. You have bad judgement, they slit your throat when you fall asleep. You pity them, and give up something that would have helped you. No matter how you cut it; most friends just aren't worth it.

"No. No. It's fine. It was nice to hear a bit more about your back story and his. So, you two have been feeding eight mouths since you were eleven and thirteen?"

"Well, we didn't start working together until about a year later, but yes,"

"Wow. How did you do it? If neither of you could work in the mines?"

"Well. Um. It uh..."

"Oh, yeah _that_. Cray,"

Cray. The peace keeper who buys women into his bed on a regular basis.

"What! No! Not that!" I frantically try to put a stop to that train of thought.

"Oh... uh... sorry,"

"It's fine. People have done worse for food,"

"So... if not that... what did you do?"

"Well... I don't really talk about it. My father taught me,"

He eyes show a glimmer of recognition.

"Okay, so, you wana' change the subject? I saw you were a pretty good archer,"

She winks at me.

"Uh, yeah. How's about you? Showing any promising signs of becoming a knife throwing prodigy?"

She laughs full on for the first time I'e ever heard.

"No, not quite, but I'm not bad at camouflage. And Gale isn't really bad at anything is is pretty good at almost everything,"

"Good, you need to talk to Peeta about the camo' thing, he's pretty good at it too. And make sure not to let Gale go on a suicide mission. Okay? Because in all honesty, it he thinks it will help you, he'll do it. He knows he has people to take care of his family if he dies and it would kill him every day if he won and you didn't,"

"I will. Trust me. I know I don't deserve him as an ally and he doesn't deserve to be weighed down by me in the arena,"

"Don't say that,"

"It's true," She whispers, tucking her chin into her chest and pulling her knees up into her arms.

I wrap her in my arms like I remember doing to Prim the day I got reaped, the day our father died, and at his funeral and many other occasions.

"Poppy. No. He needs you. You remind him so much of our sisters who he would do anything for, and he needs some type of insensitive to stay alive as long as he can. You are his motivation. He knows that Prim and Posy aren't going to starve if he doesn't make it back alive. Half the district owes one of us a favor for something or the other, his family will be fine, but he can't pull in any old favors for you. He has to help you. He's afraid if he doesn't, no one will. It's just in his blood," I whisper into her ear.

I know before I say them that every word is true. He'll try to survive, but if it comes down to it, he would choose Poppy over himself. He knows that the rest of the district will keep his family from starving, or if nothing else that I will. He knows that for sure. But if he lives, Poppy wouldn't. In his view, he would be saving a life, not swapping his for another. That's just how he is.

* * *

**AN: M'kay, what did you think? Please review! We are at 333 views but only 12 reviews, on the last chapter only 3! So, I'm raising the bar for you guys, 4 reviews or I'm not posting the next chapter. So, the bottom line is, if you love it, let me hear it, if you hate it, yell at me! I want to improve my writing, not continue to put out junk that no one likes! So by all means, tell me you honest opinion!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Shout out to Fanpire, ruthieL, and LunaLongrow for their repeated reviews!**

* * *

**Katniss' POV:**

"Okay, you remember everything?" I drill Poppy.

"Yeah. Basically I'm just acting like myself." She answers with a tiny smile.

"So you don't think you'll forget anything?" I frantically try to reassure myself.

"No. I think I'm good." She looks up from where Venia slips on one of her shoes.

"Good," I sigh, "Are you nervous?"

"Well, of course, it's live television. Probably the last thing my mother will hear from me before I die," She whispers, focusing back on Venia who it wiping a little cloth along the diamond jeweled part of her dress.

"Don't talk like that." I demand.

"Okay Katniss." She whispers, wiping a wisp of dust off the dress.

"Good, now let's get up to the stage, we have fifteen minutes until we are live."

"One last touch." Octavia insists, wiping a makeup brush over her eyes.

"Okay, you're all done?" I'm trying very hard to be nice to them, they mean well, but they are so... weird.

"Yes, we are done." Flavius confirms as I help her down from the stool she had been standing on.

"Okay, let's go." I say, as I drag her out the door with me.

Cinna had put me in flats much like Poppy, but I was wearing a red dress that came just above my knee. Over the past year and all the photo shoots, skirts still haven't grown on me. I still feel so helpless and exposed. For one you can't run nearly as easily, and for two you can't kick people making it almost impossible to defend yourself. The skirt was made of tule and was a bit fluffy, but still layed down, there was a red, silky ribbon around the waist and maroon frills around the neckline, trailing up to my right shoulder to make the strap and wrapping around my back to meet up into a full loop around my torso **(AN: Check my profile for the picture, only imagine it with only one shoulder strap).**

"Okay, lets go see if Gale and Peeta are ready." I say with a quick exhale.

"Ten minutes until you need to be lined up." Effie screeches.

"Okay Effie, is Gale in line yet?" I ask, seriously ticked that she is expecting Peeta and I to coordinate the tributes.

Haymitch never would have been asked to do this. Maybe I should consider becoming a drunk? I wouldn't have to have many responsibilities before the games, but I would also probably kill all my tributes like Haymitch did. I'll come back to that decision, because loosing Effie might just be worth it if I have to do this next year.

"No, he's still in the prep room."

"Damn it," I mutter, "Okay, Poppy, you two are making an entrance together, we need to go find him."

"Okay." She says, trotting along beside me as I run back to the dressing rooms.

Each district has a door that leads to a hallway filled with dressing rooms for each member of our team and a large green room at the beginning. I rush through the first door and arrive in front of the one labeled 'Male Tribute'.

I bang a fist on the door, not sparing any time for politeness.

"Can I come in?" I shout.

"Yes." One of the members of his prep team replies.

I swing open the door.

"Effie is about to chop my head off if we don't have both of you in line and ready to make you entrance in the next five seconds."

"I doubt Effie knows how to decapitate anything, I think that's my specialty." Gale chuckles coldly.

I look to him and realize the coolness in his eyes. He probably does want to decapitate Effie after all this makeup.

"How long do you need?" I ask the closest person.

He is blue. Literary, his skin has been dyed like Octavia's. His hair is bright orange and is sticking up in six inch spikes creating a cloud around his head.

"Five minutes."

"Fine, but hurry." I say, walking over to the sitting area with Poppy.

"Okay, let's get in some last minute training Poppy."

I pull her down onto an orange chair and sit across from her.

-0-

"Ready." The blue skinned man says.

"Good, let's go." I say.

I lead the way out of the door with Poppy and Gale close behind me. Peeta falls into step beside me.

"Effie wants us dead." He whispers into my ear.

"I know, we're doing better than Haymitch though." I whisper back, "Ready?" I ask everyone.

"Yup." Poppy chirps, fake enthusiasm evident.

"Yeah." Gale says, no emotion whatsoever, sounding bored if anything.

"Good." Peeta breaths.

Gale takes Poppy's hand and Peeta wraps an arm around my waist.

"Let's go." I order.

We walk out the door in character, as a group. We head to the line where Gale and Poppy will wait with the other tributes to go onstage.

"Okay, you can do this Poppy." I say as rehearsed and kneel down next to her, pulling her into a hug, "Just do it like we practiced, okay."

She nods, but doesn't answer.

"I've got her." Gale says, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Good." I answer, pulling away from Poppy and walking off to the wing where they will be coming off.

Normally, the acting starts on stage, durring the interviews, but we aren't here just for the sponsors. We are going to be in front of twenty two other tributes who wil be profiling everyone and planning out kills. We aren't going to go down because we let a secret spill in front of them.

Peeta puts his arm back around my waist and kisses the top of my head.

"They'll do fine." He whispers.

I nod. I keep my head in the game, but the rest of me is a million miles away, planning out how I will be able to help them once the games have started.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome everybody to the tribute's interviews of the 74th Annual Hunger Games!" Caesar Flickerman shouts with a flourish.

Peeta gives my waist a quick squeeze and I look back at him and smile. If we both survived, maybe they can too.

* * *

**AN: Okay, what did you think? We are at 17 reviews! I'm going for 21 before I post the next chapter, that's just four more reviews! C'mon, please! Any reviewers will get a peek at the interview before I post it, and I personally reply to each and every review (as long as it's signed). Thanks, I want your opinion!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Katniss' POV:**

"So Miss, what have you been thinking of the capitol so far?" Caesar asks Poppy.

"It's been a lot of fun! We have some type of sweets at every meal and everything is so pretty!" She smiles and replies chirpily.

"Good Poppy, keep at it." I whisper to myself.

"Yes, it is quite different from the districts, especially from twelve, can you tell us a bit about what it's like for you back in your home District?"

"Yeah, well, my older brother moved out a while ago when he turned 18 and he was killed in a mine explosion, and my mommy and daddy don't get home from the mines until really late so I make dinner for me and my little sisters and parents most of the time."

_Good, sad back story, now go into your family relationship._ I mentally urge her.

"My, my, my that seems like a lot of work for such a little girl."

"Well, it's not like anyone else is going to do it. Shasta's ten, and Aster and Azalia are four. And all of us are small for our age. Even when Briar lived with us he wasn't much help."

"How sad." Caesar says, in mock sorrow.

"Yeah. But I like it here. Katniss and Peeta are really nice and Gale is helping me a lot in training. He's like the older brother I never had."

"Aw, how sweet. Did you two know each other before the reaping?"

_Crap. We never talked about previous acquaintances._

"Kinda'. I'm in the year below his brother in school, and I would see them walking home together sometimes, but we never really talked much. I knew a little about him, and I knew he was Katniss' cousin because of last year's games, but I didn't personally know him."

"Well, you do now, and I think our interview time is about up, so are there any last word's you want to say before you have to go sit down?"

"Yeah," She looks into the camera as rehearsed, "I love you mommy. I love you daddy. And I hope I can come home to see you again."

With that, the buzzer goes off and Caesar sends her back to her seat.

"One interview down, one to go." Peeta whispers.

I look up to him and try to smile.

"He'll do fine." He reassures me.

"Don't be too sure of it, you are seriously underestimating the amount of hate that builds up after you watch the people you love starve to death." I snap.

"I know. It's different, and I'll never fully understand it, but I do know the feelings behind it, and if anything I don't think he will screw this up. There is too much depending on it." Peeta soothes, rubbing his hand in circles over the small of my back.

"Uhm... yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean that." I mumble in reply.

Because he does know what if feels like to watch hopelessly as someone you love turns to skin and bones. He may not know the hollow feeling in your stomach like I do, or the gnawing feeling as you body eats away at itself, destroying it's very existence. He may not know what it feels like to watch everyone you love be depending on you to keep them alive on a daily basis. But if nothing else, he watched me and Prim starve, and that provides enough experience for me.

"It's fine." He whispers back, "I know."

Gale passes each tribute on his way to the interview chair, making eye contact with each one in turn. His mask of boredom is covered with another, protective.

His training was basically just, pretend it was Prim or Vick or Rory or Posy sitting there, then wing it. I think it would go pretty smoothly as long as he doesn't try any act of rebellion in the interview. I made him swear not to, and told him if he did I would rip his throat out personally and feed it to a wild dog.

"So, I hear you are the cousin of a victor, and none other than Miss Katniss Everdeen, is this true?"

"Yes, we have the same great-great- grandmother."

"Oh, I though I recognized you, you must be the young man who took her sister away for her at the reaping last year, weren't you."

"Yes, I am."

"I see, and do you feel any pressure to live up to her standards? She has set the bar mighty high for you."

"Well, when she volunteered for Prim we were both sure she wouldn't make it out. But when she did a lot changed."

"Like what, for instance?"

"Well, for one, seeing the faces of children running through the streets waving cans of milk and corn syrup and fruits and vegetables on parcel day. That was new."

"If he doesn't change the subject in the next ten seconds I'm strangling him the second he steps foot off that stage." I whisper, gripping Peeta's arm tighter.

"And what a nice sight that must have been." Caesar shakes his head in sympathy, "So is that your goal? To come home a victor for the whole District to enjoy?"

"Well, partially. But the thing is, I don't have to be the one to come home for them to get that."

He shoots a glance at the floor, then looks up into the camera.

"Are you telling me you don't want to be victor?"

"Well, of course I do. I mean, everyone does. I just don't want it at the expense of someone else."

"How so?"

"Well. Poppy reminds me a lot of Posy, my little sister. And, if it comes down to it, I would rather it be her to come home than me."

"But what about your family? What would they think of this?"

"My father died in a mining accident just over five years ago. I had two little brothers and a baby sister on the way. My mother couldn't work, so I took over as head of the family. Those kids mean everything to me, and don't think for one second that I haven't considered them. If Rory or Vick were reaped I would have done the same for them as Katniss did for Prim, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that she would do the same for Posy if the need arose."

The buzzer goes off before Caesar can respond to it, and Gale rises and walks back to his seat without being asked.

When he sits down, Poppy reaches out a hand that he takes, and she looks up at him, teary eyes settling on his.

"I'm sorry." She mouths.

Gale nods and looks away, but keeps her hand tight in his.

"Well now, this has been a very interesting night, now hasn't it." Caesar says.

When they rise for the anthem Poppy breaks down crying, silent tears running down her cheeks, and Gale pulls her in front of him, hanging his arms protectively over her shoulders as she obediently looks up at the flag.

I glance to the screen and see that they are getting way more than their share of screen time.

At the end of the anthem, Poppy turns around and burrows her face into Gale's chest and chokes on sobs. He changes his position to hug her around her shoulders as Caesar tells the cameras goodnight.

The screens aren't leaving their faces now, every one of them is locked onto the poor little girl from Distrect 12 and her protector who has already volunteered his life for her.

As the other tributes file off stage in their gowns and suits our misfit duo stumbles their way into the wing until Poppy collapses against Gale and he carries her the rest of the way off stage.

* * *

**AN: I realize I forgot all about the private training sessions! Oops! Sorry! I will be re-writing chapter six and inserting another after it with the private training sessions, so the next chapter may be a bit delayed. And sorry for the delay with this one too, I have been very busy. As usual, four reviews for the next chapter (I'm not counting chapter six or the new insert as a new chapter though, I'll have those up ASAP).**

**Thanks, **

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	11. Chapter 11

**Katniss' POV:**

"You did great." I whisper to the two of them once they step off stage.

"Are you all right Poppy?" Gale asks.

She nods shakily and leans her head back against his chest.

"Come on, lets get you two back into the green room." I say quietly.

Gale holds her tight against himself as he carries her through the maze of hallways into ours then into the green room.

During the walk I think back to the time I twisted my ankle in the woods and he insisted on carrying me back to my house so my mother could look at it. I protested the whole way even though I was close to tears, but when we got home my mother said it was good, and that if I had walked on it it would have been much more serious, possibly even a break. Another time we were trying to show Prim around the Hob so that she would know what to trade and how much it was worth and who gave the best deals, when she got really scared of Ripper and started crying. She collapsed onto the floor and Gale picked her up and carried her outside and stayed with her until she calmed down.

Gale set her down on a couch and rested her head in his lap, wiping a loose strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry." Poppy chokes out.

"For what? You did great." I answer softly.

She sniffles and rolls over to bury her head back into Gale. He strokes her hair back, working the pins and ribbons out of it until it lays loose against her back.

Cinna and Portia walk in, absorb the scene and walk back out to leave us alone.

"Come on, we need to go talk to Effie about the schedule for tomorrow." I say, taking Peeta's hand and leading him out of the room.

"What was wrong?" Peeta asks.

"She wants him to go home to his family because her brother never did."

"And you can tell that from just looking at her?"

"It's different, you wouldn't understand. Most people wouldn't."

"Then how do you?"

"It's just a connection people in the seam have formed. That most of the time you would rather let someone else have the life you couldn't than for you to live at all. It's what keeps them all going down there in the mines, hoping that their kids don't starve if they can just work a little harder or a little longer. It's never enough and you always know it deep down, but it doesn't matter, it's better than giving up, like a refusal of death, a rebellion of it's own."

He doesn't answer, just nods.

"Like how I volunteered for Prim. I knew her life would be pitiful if I died and that our families would be on the brink of starvation but you still have the hope that it won't be, that something could happen to make it better."

He doesn't respond again. I know he's suffered, but he hasn't ever starved, or fed his whole family, and there is a point where you know you're going to die and leave behind people who will most likely die too for you to understand this.

"Like, that feeling on the first parcel day when all the kids from the Seam were running around waving oranges and candy and packages of evaporated milk. That is what you hope for, that they'll have that. Latter that week, I was dropping off my game back for Hazel, Gale's mother, his little brother Vick was home sick so I stayed to visit with him for a while. Being in Gale's family he eats better than ninety percent of the other kids in the District, but he still spent a good fifteen minutes talking about how they had opened a can of corn syrup from parcel day and that they had each had a spoonful of it on their bread that morning and may have more latter in the week. Then when Hazel offered him some in his tea to help his throat he turned it down because there wasn't enough for everyone to try it. The feeling you get when you see those kids so excited about that is what you hope you can leave behind, because if you have to die for that to happen, it would be worth it."

He nods smiles slightly, thinking back to that parcel day.

I sigh, thinking of the one example that would make some sense to him.

"Or when you burned the bread so you could throw it to me. I assume you knew your mother would hit you. It's like that, just a different type of sacrifice." I whisper.

"Katniss. You know I-"

"Yeah, I know. You didn't intend to put me in your debt, but you did."

"I think you paid it back several times over when you saved my life multiple times."

I stop and turn to look him in the eyes. My vision in blurring from tears threatening to well over.

"But I wouldn't have been alive then to help you if you hadn't thrown me the bread."

"Katniss, I never saw it as you being in my debt in the first place and even if I had then I think that can be forgotten now."

I shake my head.

"It's different. Like when my mother saves someone who was sick and couldn't afford to pay her. They still come by every now and then to say thank you, because no matter what they do they don't ever truly feel like they have repaid her because she was willing to treat them without charge and the fact that she didn't expect them to pay it back makes it a bigger debt to repay for the kindness she showed. Like I said, it's different. If I suddenly dropped dead right now and Gale didn't make it out of the games, out families wouldn't starve because of the little acts of kindness throughout the years. Aside from that everyone loves Prim, but still, between my mother patients, our friends in the Hob, and everyone who I've given food to since Thread's been in charge, they will always feel like they owe something, if they do or not,"

"I guess that's just another Seam thing then,"

"Yeah, starving normally knits people together into some pretty close relationships. It all goes back to the whole hoping for a better life for someone else thing,"

He nods.

"Mhmm, I guess,"

"Katniss, Peeta, call from Haymitch in Cinna's office," Effie calls down the hallway.

We exchange glances and turn into Cinna's office to take the call.

"He's asking to talk to you, Katniss," Cinna says, handing me the phone.

I take it and Peeta gives my hand a little squeeze.

"Haymitch?" I answer.

* * *

**AN: Okay, there you go, tell me what you think. Four reviews 'til an update y'all (for the record, y'all has been added to the dictionary and is henceforth no longer considered improper grammar in my say).**


	12. Chapter 12

**Katniss' POV:**

"What was that about?" Peeta asks after I hand the phone back to Cinna.

"Nothing." I answer.

He grabs my shoulder and turns me around to face him.

"Then how come he asked for you? Why not give Cinna a message to give to you? What's this all about Katniss?"

"It's nothing," I try to assure him.

I can feel the color drain from my face, my jaw swinging slightly unhinged so my lips are barely parted. I'm afraid if I close them I'll suffocate. It seems like I can't quite get enough air right now, stuck in this office.

He bites his lip, taking in my expression.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," He says, wrapping my hand up in both of his. "I wish Haymitch could come with us, it would make it so much easier to have an experienced mentor with us,"

"Yeah," I mumble, still trying to shake the panic from my conversation, "But you know how it is. Latest two victors from the district become the mentors until they are replaced,"

My voice is completely monotone, calculating every word.

"Come on, let's head back to your room, I think you should rest." He says, guiding me from the room.

"Should I tell Effie that you won't be at dinner?" Cinna asks.

"No, we'll come," I mumble.

We sit on the bed. He doesn't ask again about Haymitch or demand to know anything. This makes the second time that Haymitch has called and asked for both of us but only talked to me. Anyone else would be asking a million questions, but I don't think I could answer them either way. I just sit. Look at the wall. Try to work through the conversation. If this is happening now... what would happen if... what could I do? What could we do? Nothing really. Nothing at all. Nothing that would help at least. So we just sit there. Me unmoving, him holding my hand, rubbing circles on my palm, playing with my fingers, sliding my bracelet around my wrist. An hour passes, then two, then three.

"Katniss, time for dinner." Effie calls through the door.

When I make no move to stand Peeta guides me through the door, into the dinning cart, and eventually to my chair.

"Everything okay there?" Cinna asks.

"Uh. Yeah. Uhm, I'm fine Cinna. Thank's for asking."

"You sure?" Gale asks, looking closer at me.

"Oh, yeah. I just haven't slept well recently." I say, trying to force my voice to be more uplifting than I feel.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Effie chirps. "It's so hard to sleep in the tribute center sometimes, there is just always something going on and it seems like you can hear everything coming up the dumb waiter."

"Yes, Effie, that is exactly what I meant." I say.

She smiles happily, not recognizing the sarcasm in my tone.

"Eat, Poppy." I chide, trying to get as much food and water in their bodies before they are in the arena.

Since she got here at the beginning of the week she has put on some weight, but not as much as I would want.

"Don't you care about my eating habits?" Gale asks, feigning hurt.

"I don't think I need to worry about yours." I say, eyeing the fourth empty plate an Avox is carrying away.

"Hmm, well you never know the next time you're going to get a real meal will be." He says, shoveling another forkful of tiny potatoes the size of a quarter into his mouth.

"Hear that Poppy? Eat." I demand, plopping three more pieces of beef on her plate and spooning a few ladles of gravy over it.

"I can't eat that." She mumbles.

"You will." I tell her. "Then you're going straight to bed."

She looks at, sees my no-nonsense look, then turns back to her plate and eats all the meat along with a second serving of vegetables and half an orange.

Dinner goes by once again with little to no conversation, I stand and walk back to my room.

-0-

"Priiiiiiiim! No! No! Prim! NO!" I scream, sitting straight up.

My door swings open.

"Nightmare?" He asks.

I bury my head in the pile of pillows and feel the hot tears drip down my cheeks.

"Mhmm." I squeak.

"It's alright, you'll be fine. Do you want to talk about it?" Peeta asks, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling the blanket over my shoulder.

"No. It was the same as last night."

"Okay, that's fine. Just try and go back to sleep then." He advises.

"Wait. Stay with me." I mummer into the pillows.

He slides his finger under my chin, turning my head up out of the pile and looking me in the eye.

"Always,"

He pulls the sheet around us both, wrapping an arm over my waist and enveloping me in a hug.

I fall asleep instantly.

-0-

_My whole family is standing at the entrance to the mine. Mother. Prim. Father. Gale and Hazel and Rory and Vick and Posy. And I just know it's about to explode. And no matter how hard or loud I scream nothing happens, they don't move or hear me. Then, just a split second before it goes off, they see me. And they smile. And they keep smiling. And right when I think, maybe it won't go off, and I stop yelling, it does. They are all blown to bits, with huge grins on their faces, Posy giggling. And then it all goes back. Only this time Gale is standing by the mine, and Prim and all the kids by another. I run and run, but can't reach them. A hand drops down on my shoulder and I thrash away, but it comes back, so I do what I did last time and spin around to land a kick on President Snow's temple. But he comes back, pinning me down, holding my head forwards so I had to look straight into his snake eyes, his rose scented, bloodied breath going into my nostrils. I throw him off again, but he comes back. And again. And again. Until I wake up to see Gale pining me to the bed and Peeta holding my feet down. _

**Gale's POV:**

I awake to screams and the sound of something breaking. I swing open the door to my room and run down the hall. I know those screams. I rarely hear them. Not when she fell from the tree and broke her arm, or tripped and sprained her ankle, or got rammed by a buck. The only time I really remember the full out, blood curdling scream, she was attacked by a wild dog that she had challenged. Even then, it was only for a second before she cut it off voluntarily. I break into a sprint to the door the screams are coming from.

"Gale!" She calls.

I slam open the door to find her laying in bed, Peeta next to her, flailing and screaming.

"What the hell did you do to her?" I scream.

He looks up from where she is to meet my glare.

"Nothing, it's a nightmare. This one is worse than most." He says simply.

She arches her back, balancing on her shoulders and trembling as her arms twitch and flail out to the sides. I walk over to her side and see her eyes flay open, gasping, but she continues to contort her body and voice in ear splitting shrieks.

"NO! RUN! LEAVE!" She screams, swiping her arms out in front of her and she collapses into a heap.

"No way this is just a nightmare." I whisper.

I crawl over her, pinning her shoulders down under my knees, holding her head straight between my hands.

"Get off her! You're making it worse. Just let her work through it on her own."

He shoves me off but I was expecting it and rebound quickly.

"It makes it worse but ends it sooner," I say through gritted teeth.

She knees me and I flinch.

"Just hold down her feet," I demand.

He looks on questioningly for a moment but then grabs her ankles.

She pulls her head back into the pillows and, seeing what is happening next, I pull my head to the side just in time for her to spit.

"What would Snow say?" I ask.

"What?"

"What would Snow say?" I ask again.

"Uhm... something about how they aren't that different."

Before I can say anything, she lets out another scream, then collapses in tears.

* * *

**AN: Wachya' think? Raising the bar! 5 reviews to the next chapter, and every reviewer gets a preview before it's posted! Mwahahahaha! **

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	13. Chapter 13

**Gale's POV:**

"How did you know to do that?" Peeta asks.

"My little brother's used to have nightmares a lot after our father died, and my mother didn't do much about it so, eventually, I just started pinning them down so they didn't hurt themselves and realized it worked. They don't have them as often anymore though because of a tea that gave us."

He turns to Katniss where she is still crying into the pillows and lifts her head into his lap.

"Did your mother ever give you the tea?" He asks.

"Mhmm, but it didn't work, or if it did I didn't notice the difference."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Yeah, um, there were these two mines and in front of one was Prim and Mother and Hazel and Rory and Vick and Posy, and in front of the other was you." She said, nodding towards me, "And then the first one exploded and a few of the kids were still alive, but the other mine was about to explode and them snow grabbed me and pinned me down and... and... and."

"That's fine you don't have to finish." He whispers.

She sniffles, then sits up, trying to regain some composure.

"You should go back to bed, you'll need your rest tomorrow in the arena."

"I'm fine, can't sleep anyways."

"Gale, I'm fine, really. Just go back to sleep." She says through quick little gasps.

"No, you're not. I honestly can't believe that your mother didn't come up with anything,"

"Well, they normally aren't that bad, it's just since we're in the capitol and all,"

"How long have you had them?"

"Since the mine explosion, but they got worse after the games last year."

"And nothing helps?"

"Sometimes I just don't go to sleep."

"And you're concerned for _my_ health?"

"For good reason."

She looks down at the blankets and wraps the corner around her fists.

I let out a heavy breath. Tomorrow the games would start.

"Why did you pin me down?" She asks.

"So you wouldn't hurt your self and so that you would face the worst part of the nightmare sooner."

She nods but continues to look down at the blankets.

I slide a finger under her chin to lift her head up to me. Turning her left, then right, I notice four red lines going down the length of her face, forehead to chin, then sliding down her neck and disappearing into her collar.

"But you did hurt yourself already. Was that from before I came in here?"

"Um, yeah. Well, I had another nightmare earlier tonight and I guess I scratched myself."

"Mmm." I nod.

"Gale?"

"Yeah?"

"Please just go back to sleep." She whispers.

"Okay." I whisper back, pulling myself up off the bed.

I walk out the door, down the hall, and back into my room.

Rory used to have nightmares all the time, still does, but never that bad. He's never hurt himself either. And if her mother could save that miserable goat's life, then why can't she stop her own daughter's nightmares? Then again, Katniss' never let her do much for her, but she did say she tried it.

**Katniss' POV:**

"P-P-Prim." I mumble.

"It's fine, Prim is alright. She's back home with your mother,"

I look up and glare at him. I had been making amends with her, but knowing Prim was in her hands was no comfort what so ever.

"I'm sorry, but you know Prim. She'll be fine." He attempts to soothe.

"No. She can't stop him. No one can."

"Katniss, it was just a dream." He says, his eyes darting to the cameras in the corners of the room.

I bite down on my bottom lip, closing my eyes.

His arms wrap around may waist and under my knees as he lifts me into his lap.

_It was just a dream. It was just a nightmare. It was just Snow. Snow. Snow. The only one with the power to hurt my family any more. I've let him haunt my every though. I can't take a breath, move a step or so much as blink without thinking of him or his horrors. Snow. Who I've let infultrate not only my thoughts but also my dreams. Who rules my every action through threats. Snow can't control me. Snow can't control me. Snow can't control me. But he can. He can. He can ruin my life ten times over and I won't be able to do a thing about it, because he is President Cornelius Snow, ruler of Panem. _

I lean into his chest and he wraps his arms around me. A silent tear glided down my cheek, paused for a second on my chin, then dripped down onto his white undershirt.

"Prim." I whisper once again.

"Shh. Shh. She's alright." He says soothingly, rubbing circles on my lower back.

"I-I know." I stutter.

He slides me off his lap and lowers my head into the pillows.

I grasp for his wrist.

"Wait." I choked.

"It's alright. I'm not going anywhere." He whispers, sinking back into the pillows with me.

"Don't." I mumble, clinging to him once again.

"Never." He said softly yet firmly next to my ear.

I fell back into a web of dreams that night, despite his arms holding tightly to me. Nothing seems to chase them away anymore, but Peeta's presence makes it easier, less realistic in some way. Rather it be the proximity to another person or specifically his presence; I don't know, but the nightmares didn't seem to go so far this time.

* * *

**AN: How was it? Since I got more than my required number of reviews for the last chapter _over night, _I'm going to push you guys to get 8 reviews this time. You can do it! There are 27 of you with this on alerts! **

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	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Okay, for chapter twelve, I got six reviews overnight, but for this last chapter, I have given it days and I have only gotten two reviews. If you didn't like the last chapter, go ahead and tell me, either way, I want to hear about it. I just want six more reviews before I post the next chapter. It will include the first look at the arena, and anyone who reviews on this chapter or the thirteenth chapter will get a look at the arena before I post it (once again, as long as it's a signed review).**


	15. Chapter 15

**Katniss' POV:**

"Katniss... Katniss... wake up." Whispers bounce around my head.

I squint into the light of the lamp on my bed side table.

"Peeta?"

"Yeah. It's time to get up, the games start today." He whispers.

I groggily pull myself from the bed.

"What time is it?"

"It's eight-fifteen. We are meeting everyone in the dining hall in fifteen minutes before we have to leave for the arena."

I close my eyes and sigh. Today Gale and Poppy were going. Only one would return, if that.

I swing my legs off the side of the bed and make my way to the dresser on the other side of the room. Cinna has laid out two sets of clothes across it. On for me and one for Peeta.

"We really have become predictable, haven't we." I mumble as I roll mine up into a ball and walk to the bathroom attached to my room.

I get dressed and run my fingers through my hair, not bothering to brush it out before I put it in my trademark braid.

Cinna's outfit is a dress, so I'm guessing that the pants were a one time deal. It is a gold, glittery dress with flecks of red and orange worked throughout it. The skirt is loose and flowing, but it still comes to just above my knees like almost every other dress. It doesn't have sleeves, but instead a shrug.

When I walk out, Peeta is sitting on my bed in his outfit, black with gold accents and diamond cuff links.

"Here, these were under the clothes." He says, handing me a small black box.

I snap it open and see two earrings with dozens of little diamond chips hanging off them in strings of fine gold chain. I smile at the tribute to Poppy and slide them on. Last time I was here for a photo shoot my prep team pierced my ears before Cinna could stop them. I'm still not used to the notion of having two holes in my ears for the rest of my life.

"We need to get going. Before Effie comes." I stumble.

"Effie is the one who woke me up." Peeta states.

"Damn." I mutter. "She came in?"

"Yeah. I think she knew anyways though. Obviously Cinna and Portia did."

I nod and bite down on my bottom lip until I taste blood.

We walk silently into the dining car, the last ones in again.

"Good morning you two." Effie says with a sigh. "How did you sleep?"

She stares intently at our connected hands.

I guess she didn't know.

"Fine." I mutter, helping myself to a large portion of the porridge.

"M'hmmm." She draws out the 'm' sound.

"Here, Poppy, eat more of the meat. You need your protein." I say, spooning a few more scoops of the stew.

After that, we eat in complete silence. Even Effie doesn't try to make any ridiculous comments.

-0-

On the hover craft, I force a few more bites of food down Poppy, then eventually give up and just make her guzzle a few glasses of water before going to sleep on the couch.

I wake to an extreamley shaken Poppy sitting at my feet.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

She just bites down on her lip and continues shaking.

I wrap my arms around her and sit for the last few moments of the flight.

**Gale's POV:**

When we get off the hovercraft I'm directed down a hallway where I enter a room with my stylist. No prep team thank god.

Portia is looking over a piece of clothing.

"Is it any good?" I ask.

"Well. It will offer some protection from the cold, but will do little in the case of water resistance. It may protect you from the sun, but that's about it." She analyzes, tossing me the sweatshirt.

I look over the rest of the outfit.

It is a tan, sleeveless shirt and black cargo pants with a black sweatshirt and boots. In the right territory it may provide some camouflage, but like Portia said, little else.

She leaves for me to get dressed, though this is the first time she has done so my entire time in the capitol.

"It's time." She says, looking at the tube that has just opened. "Good luck."

As I put my first foot in the tube, the door swings open and Katniss runs in, followed by a frantic guard.

"You can't go in there Miss." He shouts after her. She slams the door in his face and jams a chair into the door knob.

"I'm sorry, I thought I would have a chance to say good bye to you here." I whispers as she hugs me, tears welling into her eyes.

"It's fine." I whisper back. "I need to go."

I let go first, no matter how regretful it may be.

I place my other foot on the plate and watch her through the glass as I rise up into the arena.

-0-

I look around the arena. It looks like a giant circle extending as far in each direction that I can see- which isn't very far because of the fact that we are positioned in a valley. Glancing around it I notice that it is divided into several very distinct sections. Desert, jungle, fields, marsh, and forest among them. The forest is on the opposite side of the horn from me. If I run straight to the forest I will cross through the sights of almost every tribute here, and several will most likely be faster than me. I can out run almost anyone at our school, but those were malnourished children, these children are trained to kill without batting an eyelash.

Then I spot Poppy. She is on her plate, barely keeping her sanity from the looks of it, eyes bouncing from the horn to the tributes to the surrounding areas. If I were religious, now would be the time I would pray for her to get off the plate, into the woods like we planned to. But, of course that wouldn't work, because when the gong rang, I was the obvious kill, sprinting across the open field to the woods. By the time I was off the plate, several tributes were already at the cornucopia, wielding weapons and picking off some of the others from the top of the mound. Poppy started to run, but a large, muscular boy from district four was headed after her with a net and trident.

* * *

**AN: Ta-da! What did you think? Better than the last chapter for sure. Get to fifty reviews for the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

Gale's POV

"Poppy!" I shout, "RUN!"

She pumps her legs faster and faster, away from the boy with the trident, but his legs are longer, and he's stronger, and he will have caught up to her in a matter of seconds.

I look around at my feet and grab a large stone a bit bigger than both my fists put together. I heft it up next to my ear a get a running start at the boy. I shove my hand forwards and launch the rock straight into the middle of his back. I was aiming for his head, but it connects to his back with a satisfying thump. He spins around and throws out the arm with the net. The corner whips past my knees and I take a quick step back before running. The only place to get away from him is the cornucopia, so I make a run for it. He's close on my heels and could take me down at any second with the net, then I see it, a bow. I'm not nearly as good as Katniss, but I have improved a lot over the years. It's near the top of the pile, and one of the careers is practically standing on it, but it could very well be the difference between life and death later.

I start to pull myself onto the golden structure when something rough wraps around my leg and pulls. I look down to see the boy from four pulling back the trident to spear me. I scramble for a hold on the pile of weapons and nick my finger on something sharp. I pull it out and realize it's a hunting knife. Not necessarily the best knife for throwing, but I could make it work. I hold it back then flick my wrist forwards, letting it spin over it self so that the blade lodges in the boy's throat.

I grab a bundle of wire that is next to me and the knife from his throat and run for the woods to meet up with Poppy.

-0-

When I get there, she is waiting near the edge of the forest, around where the foliage is beginning to thicken.

"Can you keep going?"

"Yeah." She nods, and takes off running alongside me.

"We just need to get far enough away so that we can't hear them at the cornucopia, then we can slow down."

After about a half mile, she starts to slow down and though she insists she can keep going, I make her slow to a jog. And after a mile or so longer, we come to a stop when I no longer hear the battle at the cornucopia.

"Take off your shoes, tie the laces together, and hang them over a shoulder." I say, motioning towards her feet.

She crinkles her eye brow, but slips the shoes off.

"It makes it harder to track footprints if there are none." I explain, trying to get a bit of a laugh out of her.

A smile turns up the corner of her mouth, but she doesn't say anything.

We trek on through the woods and eventually settle down in a tree for the night. I find a nice little fork that we both fit in and seems sturdy enough to hold us, and lay across it while playing with the wire, trying to get a snare set up for the night.

Poppy dozes off relatively quickly and the sun sets faster than what could possibly be real, leaving me in pitch black with a handful of wire. I tuck it into my jacket pocket and fall asleep relatively quickly.

-0-

A heavy crunching sound wakes me. The sound of someone carelessly running through dead leaves. My ears are alert and listening for the next foot fall, but it doesn't come. I lea my head back against the tree branch and figure that whoever it was is probably just making camp for the night. In a matter of seconds a few things happened, an arrow lodged into the tree branch behind my head, Poppy woke up, and a group of people began to whoop and holler and taunt.

The careers. I glance to the branches above me, the look strong enough to hold Poppy, and probably me, but not together, and from what I know, she isn't half bad at climbing, though I have no idea where she learned.

"I'm going to cover you, then you're going to climb up. I'll follow you, just stop when the branches feel too thin." I whisper in her ear.

She nods and starts to pull herself up when another arrow lodges in the trunk right below us.

"What about the arrows?"

"You don't have much to worry about, they clearly aren't that good. I mean, I'm not Katniss or anything, but I can at least shoot straight." I say, making no effort to lower my voice.

This sets off a trigger of laughing from below, and someone's grumbling about how unfair it is to be compared to her.

_This is just like last year._ I remember. When Glimmer had Katniss tree'd.

See climbs and I follow shortly after her, grabbing onto lambs as close to the base of the trunk as I can.

"Hey, bigmouth, I don't see you taking out any of us down here? Now are you? One to be talking."

"No, I'm not, but you haven't exactly injured either of us yet, and you have to count in the fact that you are the geniuses who decided to attack _us _while _we _were sleeping, so I don't hold much stock in your skills right now either."

This sends snickers through the crowd again, giving us the time to climb higher before the next projectile came our way. Maybe one of them would suddenly get smart and decide to give the bow to someone else, or throw a knife or spear. Anything. Anything at all.

"Well you are related to her or something, aren't you? I would think that the cousin of _Katniss Everdeen _would at least be able to get out of a tree."

"Well, you are related to your grandmother, but I assume she's dead." I sigh in mock pitty. "Looks like that isn't going to do you much good."

Then, something happened that I wasn't expecting. At all. They started a fire.

"Setting up camp for the night?" I ask.

"Something like that." One snickers, reaching up with a torch.

The drying leaves quickly catch fire and spread.

"Now, now, that isn't very nice. I can't say I much like dinner guests either, but I've never tried burning them out."

Poppy looks down at me, sheer terror in her eyes.

I look back down and they are snickering and laughing as I try to maneuver the tree.

"Jump." I mouth to her.

"I can't." She whispers.

"I'll go first, then I'll help catch you." I whisper back. I crouch down on my heels, point my toes, and feel the bark bite into my bare feet, then spring off the branch and launch myself to the nearest tree.

I have to admit though, I was never a particularly good tree climber, Katniss normally took the up high position while I hid in the bushes when we went hunting. And, though I'm probably lighter than most of the tributes below us, I'm still much taller and heavier than her, and jumping from tree to tree was something she rarely did.

My fingertips brushed over the first branch and clawed at the second, but both slipped through my grip. On the third I got purchase and hauled my self up, then signaled Poppy to do the same.

She coiled back, then sprung forwards falling through the air, the fire licking at her heels. Her arms were outstretched to grab onto mine, and her eyes were darting back and forth, as I had learned to recognize as fear.

Her fingertips brushed over mine and dropped away into the darkness, as her other arms grasped onto the branch by the very tips of her fingers.

I wrap my arm around her skinny wrist and reach into the darkness for her other arms when I head a sharp cry and the grip in her hand falters, leaving her dangling by my arm.

* * *

**AN: CLIFFHANGGER! Haha! In all honesty, I hadn't intended to leave this in a cliff hanger, but when I saved and realized how long I was getting I was like... hmm... we'll that's convinent. So, here we go again with the reviews, 8 'till the next chapter. As usual, I want to hear the good, the bad, the ugly, and the oh-my-gosh-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you. Sorry it has been sooooooooo long since I updated, ut I was at the beach with my family, then when we got back my grandmother got admitted to the hospital, then I spent like three days at a cousins house (and I'm still not exactly sure about why) and in between it all, I think all I did was sleep and do math (summer home work, still working on it). So, I'll try to get the next chapter up much faster, though no promises, my family is... well... interesting to say the least.**


	17. Chapter 17

-GPOV-

"Gale." She whispers. "Just drop me."

"Why the hell would I do that?" I whisper shout back.

"Just let go. You would do better without me."

"Hold on! I'm pulling you up! We need to get away from this fire!"

"But Gale. I can't. There's a spear in my leg. I can't jump. Just let go. Take care of yourself. You could win you know. You could totally win this."

"Why are you so calm about this? Grab my other arm, I can carry you."

"No Gale. Not through the trees you can't. Just let me die."

"Shut up Poppy! Shut up! You aren't dying! Get the hell up on this freaking branch and let me carry you!" I whisper fiercely.

"Why not Gale?"

"I'll explain later. And if you don't like my answer you can commit suicide then. Just let me take care of you!"

"Gale. Let go." She says, fighting back tears.

I wrap both hands around her arm and pull her up onto the branch.

"Ah!" She shrieks as I haul her up.

"My leg! Take it out! Please! Take it out!"

"No, leave it in. Until I can take care of it just leave it alone. The bleeding will get worse if you take it out. What a wimpy way that would be to die. Blood lose? You're better than that. Prim wouldn't go out like that. Posy either. No, both those girls know to hold themselves to higher esteem than dying of blood lose. Then again, Prim would die of something stupid. She would get stabbed in the back or something. Literary and metaphorically. Posy though... I don't know. She loves us, but doesn't trust other too easily. And she is good with medicine like Prim. When she's older Katniss is going to teach her how to take care of herself. God, that kid worships her. Katniss and Prim too. They are like idols to her. And for good reason too, between those two girls, they can handle anything. Do you really want her to see you go out for something as dumb as blood lose? Huh? Seriouisly? Suck it up Poppy, you're going to live, I know it."

She hisses with each step I take and I can feel the hot tears dripping off her chin and onto my arm.

"Hang in there Poppy. We're almost there." I whisper.

In reality, we are no where close. Not even kind of. We are just passing the trunk of the tree, and we can't climb down, not any time soon. I'm fast, but there is no way that I could out run a pack of blood thirsty careers with Poppy on my back.

"I'm sorry." She hisses through clenched teeth.

"Sorry for what? What did you ever do to me?"

"Gale. I'm not worth this. I'm not worth protecting. Just drop me."

"I told you Poppy, I'm not doing that. Stop talking like that."

"How can I? I'm not going to win, the least I can do is try not to keep you from winning."

"I wouldn't let Prim think like that. Posy wouldn't even consider saying that. Vick would shut up and bear it. Rory would make it work for him. What the hell makes you think I'm going to let you talk about yourself like that Poppy?"

"Because, I'm not your family. Not even a friend. Why should you feel any obligation to help me." she grunts.

"You go to school, don't you?"

"Of course, it's required."

"So you've been on the trips down into the mines?"

"Yes."

"You've seen how dark it is. How miserable and claustrophobic it is."

"Yes."

"Well my father was a miner, like everyone else in the District. And he told me there was one code that goes above all else; you never give up on your crew mates. Never. Not until all hope is lost. When the last cart of survivors is out and all that is left down there is dead bodies. That's when you give up. Never before. You aren't a corpse yet. I'm not giving up until you are."

"Not a good enough reason."

"Fine. Because dropping you now would kill you. And killing you would be like killing my sister. You don't kill your kin. Besides, I assume you know Prim, I mean, if I killed you she would never forgive me. I'm totally just being selfish. If you died now I could never go home and be her hero again. And Posy, oh god, Posy would move out. She would go live with the Everdeens and never talk to me again. She's very self righteous for a four year old. So you see, the only reason I'm keeping you alive is for my own self benefit. That good enough for you?"

She doesn't give a real answer, but she kinda' moans and goes limp. I take this as a sign to carry on and that she's giving up. Yippee.

KPOV:

Peeta and I are pulling an all nighter in front of the monitors in the mentor center. There are twenty five private screens for each set of mentors and another fixed set on the large wall behind us. In front of the wall is a bar and lounge where most of the mentors were hanging out during the day, but now that it's getting late most of them have gone to bed. Now Peeta and I are the only ones left save a few avoxs.

Our screens show the live footage being tapped of each tribute along with whatever is airing Panem.

"Turn on volume for monitor twenty four." I tell the computer.

An icon pops up then dissolves into thin air as the ear wigs we are using begin to transmit for the mic following Gale.

"-And killing you would be like killing my sister. You don't kill your kin. Besides, I assume you know Prim, I mean, if I killed you she would never forgive me. I'm totally just being selfish. If you died now I could never go home and be her hero again. And Posy, oh god, Posy would move out. She would go live with the Everdeens and never talk to me again. She's very self righteous for a four year old. So you see, the only reason I'm keeping you alive is for my own self benefit. That good enough for you?" Gale's voice says, crystal clear.

They have been struggling through the trees for a few minutes while a fire is slowly spreading behind them. The careers had burned them out of their camp.

"Peeta, how much was that burn ointment?"

"Um... it just went up to ten thousand."

" Damnit. We're going to need some soon from the looks of it. Keep an eye on the Career Pack, I want to know if they are following th-"

"Incoming call for Katniss Everdeen." A computerized voice says into my ear.

I press a few buttons, Effie had shown me earlier how to answer the phone and set it so that Peeta could also hear.

"Katniss!"

"Haymitch?"

I guess I really shouldn't be surprised at this point when he calls me, he has been the only one to do so since I left the station.

"Get this god forsaken thing off speaker phone!"

"How did you even know it was on?"

"I heard two people breathing. I need to talk to _you_. Now hurry up."

I press the button to take Peeta off the speaker and start pacing around the cubical as Haymitch talks.

"Sorry about that." I tell Peeta as I sit back down. "You know how Haymitch is."

"Yeah, I know, you're the one running the operation here, I see why he want's to talk to you, not me."

"Peeta, it's not that, it's just that... well... as you obviously noticed, he has issues trusting people, and since you're from the town... well... you know. He defiantly likes you more than me, but he also doesn't really trust you."

"Yeah, I get it, it's fine Katniss."

I lean over and land a quick little kiss on his cheek, which soon turns into him turning and kissing me. We sort of melt into each other, my arms around his neck, his draped around my waist, and we just live in this short little miniscule moment.

"Shit!" Gale's voice comes over the earwigs.

We both jump and give a quick little chuckle before turning back to the screens where a broken branch is falling through the trees below them

* * *

**AN: Wow. I'm really sorry about how long it took me to get this chapter out. How long has it been? Like a month? It never even crossed my mind to work on this since then. Sorry you guys. I hope you are still out there :)**

**I rewrote the little speech Gale gave Poppy a few times. It defiantly got better but I'm still not sure about how much I like it. You tell me, what did you think? **

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	18. Chapter 18

KPOV

"Would you like some duck?" Cinna asked at the breakfast table.

"No thanks, I want to get into the mentor center early." I answer, huridly grabbing a roll and making my way to the elevator.

"Katniss. You barley even got a few hours of sleep last night. When was the last time you sat down and had a real meal?" Peeta questions.

"I'm fine. I need to go see what happened overnight."

"They'll be fine." Peeta assures me.

"How do you know? Poppy had a spear sticking out of her leg and there was something wrong with her side. It could be infected. They could need medicine or something."

"People don't die of infection overnight Katniss, they got away, you saw. They'll be fine for an hour."

I felt really guilty of falling asleep in the mentor lounge last night. Peeta had carried me up into my room, which I assume was an issue with his leg and all. I guess the least I could do is let him have a real breakfast.

"Okay. I just want to know when something happens to them."

"I know. And we will. But you'll be useless if you starve yourself before then. Just have something to eat then we'll go straight on down to the mentor center."

We sit down at the table and the Avoxs bring out bowls of grain and stew and rice and fruit and even a cake. For breakfast! If I thought being a tribute was classy eating then being a victor was a whole other playing field.

"So, how did they do last night? I watched it on television of course, but they didn't show much of them before I went to sleep. I think they were in a tree or something when I dozed off." Effie chatters.

"Poppy got a spear in her leg and something in her side. It was dark. I couldn't see. The career pack burned them out of the tree they were camping in and Gale got them out of there. Last thing I saw he was carrying her. He probably won't stop until well into this day to rest. He's probably already stopped to see about Poppy's wounds. I saw some moss there, he should know how to use it as a bandage and to apply pressure and stop the bleeding."

"Oh. My. Poppy you say? Well, we all knew she wasn't going to make it anyways."

"Effie! She isn't dead! Gale knows what he's doing, stop underestimating them."

"Well, I'm just stating the facts, I mean, there is no way Poppy is going to win. I don't see why Gale doesn't just leave h-"

"Effie!" I shout, slamming down my glass. "He isn't leaving her! He isn't going to leave her!" I scream.

I grab the roll I had been nibbling on earlier and storm out into the hallway leading to the elevator.

**PPOV**

"Effie, that was a completely inappropriate comment." Cinna scolded after Katniss had stormed off. "Gale is her friend, do you have any clue how hard this is on her?"

"Well, then she should agree with me, I mean, if she want's Gale to win-"

"That isn't it." I interject. "When she left for the games last year Gale had promised to take care of her family, and Poppy reminds both of them of their little sisters, Prim and Posy. It isn't just that she want's Gale to win, she cares about Poppy too." I defend her.

I know I will never have known what it is like to have been feeding their families since they were so young, or watch as the people they loved wasted away or to be starving myself. But I can defend the love she has for their families.

"That's absurd, she just met her a week ago. She shouldn't be forming attachments to tributes anyways."

"It isn't just that. They've been taking care of their families since their fathers died six years ago. Katniss was twelve when she took on caring for Prim and I don't believe she was older than thirteen when she was helping the Hawthorne's too. You build a mutual trust to someone. You would give your life to save theirs because that's the only reason you go out and work every day, is to keep them alive. It's like giving up to just let them die. They see Poppy as the same helpless little girls that they left back home crying for their brother and sister. They aren't going to leave her." I say.

Effie obviously has a comment on this, but before she can say it Cinna pokes her and gives the slightest shake of his head.

"Look, we aren't giving up on either of them. Just leave it at that." I finish.

I down a glass of juice and take a few rolls with me down to the mentor center. When I walk up to our cubical Katniss is talking to someone on the phone and pacing in circles. When she sees me she quickly disconnects and sits in her chair.

"Haymitch?" I ask.

She sighs and nods, looking up wearily from the desk.

"He said he'd call back later."

"Okay. You should get some sleep then, I'll keep an eye on the screens and tell you if anything happens."

"I can't do that. You need sleep as badly as I do."

"Then I'll take a nap later after you're up."

"No, you sleep first, I couldn't fall asleep anyways right now."

"Katniss." I sigh, pushing a strand of her hair out of her face. She hadn't retied her braid since last morning and there was more hair out of it than in it now.

"Fine. Just let me check in on them first."

She pulls up their screen to cover the whole wall and clicks around, zooming in on parts and amplifying the volume at different times.

"Okay. He's made at least two water breaks since we left. He bandaged Poppy's leg, though I don't see anything on her side. She probably just pulled something. He'll make a quick stop within the hour to change the moss on her leg. He'll take a longer break within the next two or three hours. Five or so miles. The break should be about an hour, give or take. He may doze off a bit and let Poppy keep guard, but I doubt it. Then they'll keep walking until sunset then set up camp. No fire. If they don't have food he knows how to soak some bark to make it soft enough to eat. Tastes terrible but it's edible and cuts the edge off the hunger."

"Wow. How did you know all that?" I ask, astonished at the exact times and distances she could estimate.

"We left around four in the morning and it's eight thirty now. That's four and a half hours of traveling at this pace. It takes him about an hour to go three miles under normal circumstances, but he's tired and carrying Poppy, so he's going a bit slower. I'd say they've gone about eleven miles from the first camp, give or take." To double check she pulls up a map and points to the spot where their trackers had them at midnight and where they were now, noting the distance in the top, right hand corner of the screen. 11.25 miles exactly.

"Assuming he is rationing the water they stopped for about two or three minutes and each drank about a cup. Fifteen minutes for the initial bandaging and about ten for each bandage change. Notice the slight limp on his left leg?" I nod, noting a very minuscule limp. "That's from when he... dropped a knife on his foot a few years ago. My mother healed it, but there's still a bit of a limp when he walks for a long time." She says the part about the knife after a moment's hesitation. Probably a white lie. Chances are he injured it hunting or something. We were most likely being recorded and monitored right now.

"He is still being careful about where he steps, notice that there is almost no noise on the mic? That means that he think's he's being followed or that there may be other people around. The only reason he wouldn't know is if he were moving fast enough so that he didn't have tome to survey the area as well as he would like to. But as long as the other people aren't experience in actual hunting, he'll be alright. The most these people have done is target practice, never any real people. His foot will start hurting worse later and he'll have to stop to rest it. That will be about an hour before he'll start up again. He won't start a fire under any circumstances and the tree bark thing is just experience. He's done it before and he'll do it again."

"Wow."

"You pick up on it over the years. There aren't any other tributes around them. They'll be fine for a few days until they have some food and Poppy is feeling a bit better and they have to move on."

"Yeah, that's lucky." I comment, noticing that she is right, they are miles from the nearest tribute.

"It has nothing to do with luck. He's making his way uphill even though it would have been just as easy to run west from the start point and go downhill. The only reason someone does that is because no one else would, they would take the easy path. He's avoiding everyone on purpose."

"How do you know he wasn't just trying to get away, not even thinking about the hills or anything?"

"Because. He knew. I know him. He looked around before he fell asleep, he probably noticed how the tree trunks were at a slight angle from the ground and there was a trickle of water coming from the south then curving and going west. He had an escape all planned out. It's what he would do. Don't underestimate him."

"Point proven." I say, holding my hands up. "Now get some sleep."

She lets out a long breath and stretches out across the floor of our cubical, but it isn't long before she is back in the chair, staring at the screens.

"Katniss-"

"I'll get some rest." She whispers, leaning her head down against my shoulder and shutting her eyes.

"Goodnight." I whisper in her ear, giving her hand a slight squeeze and draping my jacket over her shoulders.


	19. Chapter 19

**Outtake:**_  
_

**KPOV**

_In. Out. In. Out. Draw. In. Out. Aim. In. Out. Release._

My arrow flies through the air into the eye of a squirrel. I hop down to retrieve the kill. On my way out of the tree I had been perched in I hear a quick, three note whistle. I return it. It was the call Gale and I had been using in honor of Rue since she died.

"Hey, Catnip. I've been looking for you," He says, as I hop down from the tree.

"I couldn't sleep so I came out here early," I clarify.

The truth was, I wasn't even all that tired. I had been awake for going on twenty four hours now, but I didn't feel a thing. It was all numb. That's because my mother was having a formal dinner tonight. I know, I shouldn't be this freaked over a simple dinner, but I was. Because it was the last weekend before the victory tour. It was Friday, but today and tomorrow would be holidays for all the mine workers, so Gale and I were taking advantage of it to go hunting on out three day weekend.

"You have nothing to worry about. What's the worse that happens? You have to look at Rue's family?" He reassures me, patting my shoulder.

"Yeah, well, that's one of my major concerns."

Honestly, I hadn't even thought about that; I was more concerned about what Snow had said to me.

"Good point. But it's nothing that you can fix by worrying,"

"No. It's nothing I can fix at all," I muss, kicking a rock at the dead squirrel.

He doesn't say anything. Doesn't try to reassure me with false security that would only crumble later and bury me. That's one of the good things about him, he doesn't ever try to tell you that everything would be all right, because in all honesty, he doesn't know himself, who is he to say it will be fine. In reality, it probably never will be. I still wake up every night screaming and clawing and kicking at nothing. I'm starting to understand why Haymitch doesn't like to sleep in the dark.

Gale picks up the squirrel and inspects it.

"Right through the eye. I see the you haven't gotten _too _used to the capitol. At least you can still shoot straight,"

I smile. Because if there is one thing about him, is that when he does console someone, it's with the facts. And if he compliment's you, if comes from the head, not the heart.

"That's one thing they can't take away from you,"

"They could chop my arms off," I argue.

"You would get prosthetics,"

"Where?"

"The black market," He says, like it should go without saying.

"If they sold prosthetics in the Hob, Ripper would have one and someone would have a lifetime supply of white liquor,"

"I never said anything about the Hob,"

"What other black market is around here,"

"You would find one," He assures me.

"Seriously?"

"Come on, you could figure out where the Hob is from any peacekeeper in this District. There has to be something else around here for higher market goods. If you needed to, you could find out about it. Besides, everyone owes you favors since the very first parcel day," He argues.

I turn away to rearrange some foliage covering one of the logs with one of my bows.

"Shooting with a prosthetic couldn't be easy anyways," I mumble to myself.

I hear a quiet chuckle coming from Gale but ignore it, I wanted to get a nice haul today for Hazel, she had said something about trying to pull together the money to get Rory something for his birthday in a few weeks and wouldn't accept any money. If I could at least make it so that she didn't have to spend any of her laundry money on food, she might be able to pull together enough money.

-0-

By the end of the day, we had a normal haul of just over a dozen assorted squirrels and rabbits. Nothing particularly note worthy. We stowed away the bows and reset the snares and were now on our way back in.

"Can you bring everyone over for dinner tomorrow night?" I ask.

"No," He answers without a second's consideration.

"Why?" I ask, slightly offended even though I was expecting this.

"Because,"

"Gale," I grab his shoulder and turn him around to face me, "Will you stop deflecting me every time I offer anything?"

"No, because I don't need it. You're already giving me all the game we get on a daily basis, and six times out of seven I'm not even with you,"

"Because it's either that or flute lessons or flower arranging with Effie!" I defend, "Besides, if I were dead you would keep my family fed,"

"But I'm not dead,"

"I still owe you, either way," I whisper.

I don't like owing anything, and ever since I got back from the games I have felt like I will always owe Gale something. For the game I played in the arena. For the very real possibility of him having to provide for seven mouths single handed. For how I avoided him after I got back. Even now there is an ever present stiffness in the air between us when we aren't in the woods or the hob. Anytime we are in public we are cousins again and we have to preform, because of me.

At first I think he didn't hear me, or that he was ignoring me, because he turned back around and started walking, but then, in a barely audible whisper, he says, "No you don't. You could leave right now and I wouldn't have a thing to hold against you,"

"Well then that would be your mistake, and I won't let it be mine,"

He glances over his shoulder to look at me, then snaps his head back and keep walking.

"So you'll come to dinner?" I try.

"No," He repeats.

"Please! My mother already invited Haymitch! At least if the kids are there I'll have an excuse to kick him out!"

"Your mother invited over Haymitch Abernathy for dinner tomorrow night of all nights?"

"She feels bad for him and has been making an effort to be nice to him since he organized all the sponsors,"

He stops, turns around, and glares at me.

"Fine," He answers, then turns back around and continues to the Hob.

-0-

The next day I woke up to the sound of Prim rushing around the house, getting ready for a dinner party. Those flower arranging lessons from Effie must have served her well because there were bouquets around the entire house. I had gathered most of the flowers in the woods, but there were a few I didn't recognize, so I assume she must have started a garden.

"Your wedding dresses are going to be aired today." Prim says while she snips down the step of a valley rose.

_Damn it. _I think.

"Oh... yeah." I mumble.

She puts down the rose and looks at me.

"You forgot that when you invited the Hawthorns, didn't you?"

"Maybe." I mumble into the pantry as I fill up my old hunting sack with food.

"You don't want Gale here when it's on?" She asks. Really more of a statement than a question.

"No, not really."

"Especially with me here." Someone says from the door way.

I don't turn, keeping my head in the pantry as I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth. _Peeta_. I slowly turn around to look him in the face.

"Oh. Um. Quite honestly I didn't know you were coming." I whisper as I sling my half full bag over my shoulder.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing." I try to cover.

"What do you mean you didn't know."

"Well. I knew my mother invited Haymitch. But, I didn't know about you."

"She invited Haymitch?"

"Yeah."

I try to side step him on my way out the door, but he puts an arm up in front of me.

"She didn't tell you she had invited me?" His brow furrowed and his head tilted to the side as if he were trying to read my thoughts.

"No." I step to the side again.

"Katniss. Why didn't she tell you?" He counters me again and grabs my wrist.

"I don't know." I sigh. "Just let me go. I need to give some food out to some old friends from the Seam."

He lets go and steps out of my way, but the hurt in his eyes is evident.

"Sure. I was just bringing over some bread for tonight. I'll go." He mumbles, setting a paper bag on the counter.

"Thank you." Prim whispers.

I walk past him as quickly as I can then break into a sprint towards the Seam.

It seems like I can't have a single conversation with him without hurting him. Even when I suggested we get married. There are a few bonds of trust that I broke that will be irreversible.

-0-

After dropping off the food at different houses of people who had been old friends, or had been rumored to have donated to Greasy Sae's fund for our sponsors, or who I was just particularly fond of or who's kids looks especially thin lately, I had to go back home. As I walked down the street my eye caught the hole in the fence nearest to our old home. Without thinking I slip under and wander into the woods, my feet carrying me to a location that I have only been to once since my father died. The watering hole. The one with the tiny little concrete house by it and all the Katniss and Primrose surrounding it. I slip into the house and start a small fire in the hearth, rubbing my frosty hands together in front of the flame. I lean my nose in towards the fire. Normally I would have had on another sweater and scarf, but in my rush to leave the house this morning I only had a sweater on that I had slipped on after waking up, which I promptly gave to the Milleson family after seeing two of their children shivering a corner under a threadbare blanket.

I wriggled my fingers and toes in front of the fire, letting myself slowly defrost. And I sat there. And waited. And waited. And waited. Trying to come up with an excuse to stay, but never figuring out a good one. Eventually I gave up and left, making my way trough the forest, under the fence, and down the road towards my new house, sliding through the shadows to avoid any Peacekeepers.

On my way up the steps I noticed the telivision was on. The mandatory programming must have started already.

_How long have I been away? _I wonder.

I slip through the doorway into the kitchen and make my way into the living room.

As I walk in, all eyes turn to me. Gale and Peeta look as if they have been clenching their jaws all night.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." Prim mummers, re positioning Posy on her lap.

I sit next to Haymitch on the couch and look at the screen. They are showing pictures of me posing in a huge, puffy, white wedding dress.

"Which one is this?" I ask.

"Number one. The program just started." Prim answers.

I nod numbly and fidget.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No. We were waiting for you."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize how late it was. What time is it?"

"A little past eight."

"Oh."

We sit in awkward silence for a while.

"Prim says she likes number two best. With the long sleeves." Hazel says.

"Yeah. I guess that one isn't so bad. Dinner must be getting cold, I'll go warm it up."

"I'll help." Gale says, jumping up from the couch. I'll bet he's been waiting for an excuse to get up this whole time.

"Me too." Prim mumbles.

"Okay." I say, stepping around a very jittery Haymitch on my way to the kitchen."

One we get into the other room I lean towards Prim and whisper in her ear, "Is he sober?"

"Yeah. He hasn't had a drink all day from the looks of it. But I think I saw a bottle from Ripper in that bag that he brought." She whispers back.

"Make that two." Gale whispers.

I smile unconsciously. I am thankful for all that Haymitch has done for us, but his drinking habits have made him a very unpleasant member of our district. And considering there are only three of us in the Victor's Village, it is pretty hard to ignore him.

"What's for dinner?" I ask Prim as I take the lid off a pot.

"Stew. Beef Stew."

I take a spoon of it and sniff.

"How come every time I try to make this it ends up looking more like burnt flesh?" I wonder aloud, stirring the heavenly stew.

"Because, your cooking skills are about what it takes to burn all the parasites off a piece of meat." Gale jokes, turning on the burner under the stew pot.

"Hey, you didn't have to eat that! It wasn't my fault the fire was too big!" I pout, remembering the one time I had cook for us and burnt the meat to a crisp.

"Actually, it was your fault, and of course I had to eat it, I wasn't going to throw it away." He pushes himself up onto the counter.

"You have no idea." I mutter into the pantry as I fish around for the bread, remembering all the extravagant food during the victor dinner and all of the people throwing it away after a single bite.

"What?"

"Nothing. Prim, where did you put the bread?"

"There are some cheese buns in the bread box, and a plain loaf on the second shelf of the pantry."

"I'll just warm up both." I mumble, dropping the loaf onto a baking sheet and sliding it into the oven.

"Prim! Your favorite dress is on now!" Posy shouts from the other room.

"Okay Posy, I'm coming. What do you think of it?" She asks, wiping off her hands as she walks out.

"It is pretty. It's my favorite so far. Come look at it Gale." The four year old calls excitedly.

He clenches his jaw, but hops off the counter where he was residing and walks into the living room.

"Okay." He says tersely.

"Doesn't Katniss look so pretty in it?" She chatters.

"Yeah. It is pretty." He mumbles, sitting next to her on the love seat.

I lower into the seat next to Haymitch again, wrapping a foot around the brown bag my his feet, noticing that Gale was right, he brought two bottles of Ripper's white liquor.

The next dress passes with some comments between Hazel and Prim and Posy, along with the occasional input from my mother.

Then Claudius Templesmith comes on screen to remind the capitol citizens to vote for their favorite dress.

"Let's just eat dinner." I announce, trying to put it behind us.

"Tomorrow morning. My house. You two." Haymitch orders as he makes his way to the kitchen, uncorking a bottle as he goes.

I snatch the bottle from his hand.

"Either put down the bottle, or go home." I demand.

He glares at me for a second, takes the bottle back, picks up his bag, and saunters out of the house.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." I mumble.

"Probably just couldn't wait for a drink." Peeta replies.

"I'll say."

We all walk into the kitchen where Prim is dishing out bowls of stew and setting them on the counter next to her.

All the kids get in a line behind her and are handed bowls. Gale holds Posy in one arm and takes a bowl in the other. Our mothers take their bowls and Prim and Peeta theirs. I spoon the stew into two bowls, putting extra meat in one, and set that one in front of Gale, who has Posy on his lap.

"It's fine, I'll share with Posy." He offers, pushing the second bowl away.

"No. You won't. Take the stew."

He looks at me for a moment, but takes the bowl back and spoons a bite into his mouth.

"Well, there's another thing you didn't inherit with Prim." He smiles.

I whack him on the shoulder, but smile and sit down.

"We all know, every time I cook it is completely inedible. Just shut up."

I taste the stew, and he's right. Prim's cooking is getting better by the day, of course the fact that it is real beef from the butcher shop helps, but she still did a wonderful job.

Rory and Vick are looking wide-eyed at the full bowls in front of them, huge chunks of meat floating in the rich sauce. Even Hazel looks a bit surprised by the amount of food.

I smile at Vick- who is sitting between Gale and I -and push his spoon into his hand. Rory- on the other side of Gale and Posy -notices this guesture and smiles, shoveling the stew into his mouth.

"Slow down." Hazel warns, grabbing her son's wrist.

Peeta looks around at the kids, seeing how excited they are over bowls of stew. I have tried explaining some of the conditions to him before, and he has defiantly seen some of it first hand, but never like this. Even this wasn't that bad though. Watching them eat nothing but boiled pine-needles for weeks during the winter when the game was scarce and the plants were all frozen was what really hurt. Seeing this wasn't nearly as bad, but it still sent a million tiny fractures racing across my heart, especially considering that these kids eat better than most others in our district.

"Which dress was your favorite?" Prim asks, trying to draw in a conversation.

She realizes this is a bad line of conversation almost instantly and bites her lip, looking nervously between Peeta and Gale.

"Um... I guess the second one. This stew is really good, Prim. Maybe even better than Sae's." I make an attempt at a joke.

Gale smiles, spooning another hunk of meat into his mouth.

"Really? Because I don't think it even compares to day old wild dog." He tilts his spoon forward to Prim, who is sitting across the table from him. "That is what it's missing. Dog meat. It adds a nice bit of gameness to it."

Prim smiles and Posy giggles, but Peeta's brow is furrowed, looking at him in confusion.

I lean over to his ear and whisper, "He's just joking."

He nods, turning back to the stew.

Posy turns around to face Gale, wriggling around and nearly knocking over her bowl before Gale steadied it.

"Can I stay with Prim tonight?" She asks.

Gale looks up to me.

"Depends, ask Katniss."

This sets off another wave of wiggling as she tries to turn to face me. From the face he made, I'm pretty sure at some point she kneed him or something.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

"I don't see why not. As long as your Mother and Gale are okay with it."

She starts to turn to ask her mother, but Gale grabs her shoulder and stops her.

"Can she stay here tonight Mother?" Gale asks.

Hazel smiles and holds back a laugh at the look on Gale's face, but nods.

"It's fine with me. As long as she won't be too much trouble." He looks to Prim.

"Sure, I don't mind." She says, getting up to clear her spot.

Posy smiles and grabs her spoon.

"Here, I'll take her, I'm done eating." I offer, walking around Vick and lifting Posy off his lap, taking her bowl with, and sitting back in my seat.

Prim reappears at the table, holding the pot.

"Seconds?" She offers.

Rory and Vick's eyes grow wide, and even Gale looks a bit shocked by the offer. Prim just smiles and refills their bowls without a response.

"Hazel?"

"Yes please."

"Mother?"

"No thank you."

"Peeta?"

"Oh... Um... No thank you." He stumbles, clearly feeling awkward in front us, being the only one not from the Seam.

I hold Posy on my lap as she sops up the last bit of gravy in her bowl with a hunk of bread.

Each of the kids stands up and clears their spot in their turn, until Gale has finished his and put his bowl by the sink, and Prim brings out a platter of cookies.

Now every one of the Hawthornes, including Posy and Gale, look a bit shocked. Napkins are passed around the table and cookies are offered until each of them is slowly eating a bakery quality cookie.

I take my yellow, daisy shaped cookie and turn it over in my hand.

"Did you make these?" I ask Peeta.

He looks up.

"Yeah. I had some free time before my shift at the bakery started."

"Mmm," I nod. "They're good."

"Thanks."

After we are finished, I grab Posy and set her down on the floor next to me.

"I'll go up stairs and run Posy a bath."

"Okay, I'll bring her up in a minute when she's done eating." Gale says, setting her back on his lap.

I run the bath and lay against the wall next to the tub when I hear the door close and turn around.

"How come I never hear you coming, even when you're carrying a hyperactive four year old?" I wonder aloud.

"Because she's half asleep and you're daydreaming."

I glare at him, but it ends up in more of a grin.

He latches the door and sets a drowsy Posy on the counter.

"I've got her." I say, grabbing her and getting her ready for a bath- taking her clothes and taking out her braids.

I notice how completely un-even they are and grin as I look at Gale.

"You did her hair this morning, didn't you?"

"Uhm... well... yeah. My mother was behind on the laundry so I got her ready this morning. Was it really that bad?"

I let out a muffled laugh and fold up her clothes on the counter.

"Yeah, kinda'."

He shakes his head and lifts her into the tub.

After a few minutes of silence, I broke it.

"You know you can't do this forever."

"What?"

"Well, you can't be her mother. There are some things that you just won't be able to do, and your mother is entirely to busy to do them."

"Yeah. I know." He whispers, wiping the soap off her back.

She is so tired by now that I doubt she will be able to follow any conversation.

"I'll figure something out though." He says.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure yet."

I nod, running the sponge down her small arms.

"She's starting school next year." I say.

"Yeah."

"I assume you'll be in the mines, do you think Rory will be okay with getting the three of them to school?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go in the mines. I think Rory'll be fine with them, I just wish he were a bit older."

"He'll be fine. He's like you, he'll be able to make it work."

I lather the soap in my hands and run it through her light red hair.

"Yeah. I guess that what I'm really worried about is in the mornings. I'll have to be at the mines over two hours before they start classes, Rory will have to get them ready on his own. I can barely even braid her hair, I doubt he'll be able to do any better."

"Prim can help some. She'll stop at your house before school and walk with them. She can teach Rory how to braid, and we can figure something out for the other stuff."

"We'll make it work." He says, a short silence following before he splashed a handful of soapy water at me.

"Hey!" I whisper-shout, splashing him back.

We fling handfuls of water at each other, each trying to hide behind the plastic shower curtain, one always holding Posy up, keeping her from slipping under water.

Eventually, when both of us are soaked to the bone, we call it off, deciding we needed some water left in the tub to rinse Posy off with.

A light tap sounds on the door just as I rinse the last bit of soap from her hair.

"Come in." I say without thinking.

"I'm packing up some of the cookies to send home with the Hawthornes and was wondering where you kept the-" Peeta says, opening the door.

He looks between Gale and I, then to Posy, before quickly looking down to his feet.

"Oh, uh sorry." He mutters, backing out the door.

I stand up and wipe my hands off on a towel.

"Oh, my bad. I thought you were Prim. What were you looking for?"

"Nothing, I'll go ask Prim."

"She wasn't down stairs?"

"No, I think she's getting Posy something to sleep in."

"Okay, she's probably in her room then, down the hall and to the left." I instruct.

He nods and hurries out.

Gale looks at me, brow furrowed.

"What was that all about?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"He doesn't have any sisters. I guess he just didn't realize we were giving Posy a bath."

He nods and turns back to Posy.

"I'm going to go get her something to wear."

I go down the hall into Prim's room and almost run into her on her way out.

"Oh. Here I was going to bring you this for Posy."

"Okay. Here I'll take it. I was just coming in to ask you about it." I take the shirt and swing it over my shoulder, turning towards the stairs. "Come on, I wana' go see them out."

We walk down the stairs to find Rory and Vick on their way out with their mother. I reach down and give them each a hug, then Hazel, who is holding a tin of what must be Peeta's cookies.

"Bye. See you tomorrow." I say as I hold the door for them, shutting it behind them.

"Why is your hair wet?" Prim asks.

I look down at myself and remember that I'm soaked.

"Oh... um... well... we sorta' got in a water fight."

I take the towel she is holding out to me.

"With Posy?"

"No, she was practically asleep."

She gives me that you're-practicaly-that-kid's-mother-so-please-act-it look, which I shrug off.

"Come on. She was asleep. You're the one always bugging me to do stuff with people my age."

"Well, your friends consists of Madge, the Hawthornes and sometimes Peeta."

"Not true. There's Sae, and Darius, and like half the Peacekeepers, and the mayor and a bunch of other people from the hob."

"And how many are within two years of your age?"

"Sae has a granddaughter your age."

"Doesn't count." She says, then walks into the kitchen to do the dishes.

I glare at the back of her head, but follow her in and pick up a clean dish towel to dry with.

"Why was _he _in there?" Peeta asks.

"What?"

"Why was Gale giving his sister a bath?"

"Because, he always does. Most of the time his mother is too busy, so it just sort of became one of his jobs."

"Giving his little _sister_ a bath?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't seem weird to you?"

"Not really. She's four, he's practically her father. Closest thing she's ever known." I defend.

"She's right," Prim says. "It's completely normal."

He looks confused, but drops it. A few seconds later I know why when the extra shirt is whipped off my shoulder and an arm is draped in a loose chock hold around my neck.

"Aw man. You really are loosing your touch. If I could sneak up on you with a sleeping four year old."

I brush his arm off and turn to face him.

"Not fair." I mutter.

"Hey, you never know who may come up behind you with a knife."

"But no one else is nearly as quiet as you." I pout.

I reach out and take Posy- who is wrapped in a towel- from him, grabbing the shirt too.

"Besides, I would have fought back if I hadn't known you were holding her." I mutter.

"You wouldn't have hurt me." He snickers.

"I think I dis-proved that theory when I tripped one of your snares and nearly lost a toe, then went on to whack you with a piece of wood."

He tries to glare at me, but is obviously holding back laughs.

I re-position Posy's towel to rest her on my hip and walk into the living room, setting her down on a couch.

"I've got her." Gale says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

I go back to the kitchen to finish drying while Gale dresses her and catch a glimpse of Peeta, who's jaw is clenched and eyes are set.

"It's fine." I whisper to him. "She's four."

He gives a quick look that seemed a lot like accusation, but instead of saying anything, leaned down and kissed me on top an my head and walked to the door.

"Bye. See you at Haymitch's tomorrow." He says on his way out.

Gale comes back into the kitchen shorty after, holding Posy.

"It really bothers him that much?"

"Apparently."

"Even if he doesn't have any sisters, I'll bet his mother took care of him and his brothers when they were little."

"No, probably not. I've met her, I doubt she did much of anything."

"Still, she's his mother."

"When they had the visitors after the reaping last year, she came to visit him and, trying to cheer him up, said 'Well, district twelve might have a winner this year.' but she meant me. She said 'Yeah, she's a fighter that one.' I doubt she ever did much of anything for any of her kids."

He looked at me with disbelief.

"How do you know?"

"He told me. In the training center."

"And you believe that?"

"Like I said, I've seen her. I don't find it hard to believe she would say that."

"What do you mean, seen her?"

I think back to the day when Peeta threw me the bread from the roof of their bakery, the welt already turning red on his cheek.

"Um... nothing."

"What is it Katnip?" He asks, letting Prim take Posy from him.

She quickly hurries off and our mother disappears up the stairs with her, leaving only Gale and I in the kitchen with the smells of beef stew and fresh bread swirling around us.

"I told you, nothing."

"Katniss?" He sighs, boosting himself back up onto the counter. "You should know by now that I can tell when you're lying."

"Can we just leave it alone. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place."

He bites his lip, but nods, hopping off the counter and starting into the living room, towards the stairs.

"Put Posy down with me?"

"You may have to fight Prim for that, you know how much she loves that girl, and this being the first time you've let her stay the night." I shake my head in mock worry. "I'm afraid she may not let her go home."

"I'm afraid she may not want to." He smiles a full out, teeth showing, lips curled back, corners lifted to his ears, smile.

"Well, she'll have to go back sometime. Who know's what Effie would do to her. She's already tried to get Prim all done up by Cinna and Portia."

"Seriously? Is that even legal?"

"Does legalities even matter to Effie?"

He shrugs, "Good point."

"Who knows what she would do to Posy."

He skips up the steps in front of me and, in his most ridiculous capitol accent, stars listing off some of the weirder things capitol people have been known to do.

"Tattoos?"

"Cat ears?" I join in.

"Pink wigs?"

"Dyed eyelashes?"

"Waxing?" I cringe, wrinkling up my nose in disgust.

"It's seriously that bad?"

"I've been attacked by a bleeding rabid squirrel. That didn't even compare to waxing."

"That was your fault for not killing it on the first shot."

"I was still learning! You completely missed it! Twice!"

"I was trying to get it off you."

"What happened to a good old fashioned knife?"

"We've been through this before, Katniss." He pretends to scold, "Just because you want to get rabies doesn't mean everyone else does."

"It never bit me." I mutter, pushing past him to the second floor.

"That, my friend, was sheer luck." He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me back to walk side by side with him on our way to Prim's room.

"Was not." I pout. "At least I didn't shoot myself in the foot."

"Hey, not my fault, you're a terrible teacher, admit it. Besides, it wasn't that bad."

"Um, I do recall that you shot yourself before I taught you how to use a bow, and the reason I agreed was so that you wouldn't shoot me. And yes it was that bad, you still walk with a limp when you get tired."

"Do not..." He mumbles.

Prim holds a finger to her lips from the other end of the hallway.

"She's asleep already?" Gale asks.

"I think." Prim replies.

"Most of the times she's up bothering Rory or I for a good half hour after I put her to bed."

"What time is that?"

"Eight o'clock."

"It's going on ten." She smiles.

"Oh. I should probably be getting home then."

"What time do Rory and Vick go to sleep?"

"Nine-thirty. Some times Rory stays up to help our mother or I with something though."

Prim nods.

"They'll be tired, you should probably go so you can say good night to them."

"I need to see Posy first."

"I'm pretty sure she's asleep."

"No, she isn't." He says with absolute confidence.

"How can you know?" I ask, hopping into the conversation.

"She's stayed up past midnight before waiting for me to get home to say good night. I doubt she gave in so early."

He cracks the door open and there she is, sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of Prim's bed.

"Gale?"

"And Katniss." He whispers across the room. "Goodnight."

She reaches for him and we walk over to the side of the bed, where she wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face into his shoulder.

"Goodnight Gale." She says, then moves on to hug me with strength that seems inhuman for a four year old.

"Goodnight Posy." I brush a wisp of hair from her face. "Try and get to sleep."

She nods and crawls under the covers, pulling them up to her chin.

"I will." She is positioned near the edge, leaving plenty of room for Prim in the over sized bed.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow." Gale whispers, landing a light peck on her forehead and standing up, walking towards the door.

I squeeze her tiny hand and follow him out, shutting the door behind me.

"I'll get going now. I need to get home."

"Can I walk you home?" I ask.

"No, you should stay here, I'll be fine."

"Please? I need to talk."

He chews on the corner of his cheek, but nods toward the door.

"Come on."

We made our way down the path, out of the victor's village and into the deserted street.

"I'm worried." I say bluntly.

"As anyone would be." He nods.

"Not just about the tour. About a lot of stuff. What about Posy?"

"What about her."

"Well, for one, she needs a mother."

"Yeah. I know. I'm not going to be able to take care of her forever."

"She sleeps with you?"

"Officially? No, she sleeps with our mother. But almost every night she ends up with me."

"She won't go to sleep without you telling her goodnight?"

"Yeah. Once when I was in the woods late, she was sitting up in bed curled up in a ball crying into Rory's chest until I got home around two in the morning."

"Your mother?"

"She was knocked out in bed. It wasn't her fault, Posy didn't make a sound, and Rory was still up when she started crying and he told her not to wake up our mother."

"Why was she crying?"

He lets out a long breath, running a hand through his already disheveled hair.

"Well. I think she's afraid I'm going to leave them. I mean, everyone has heard the rumors. Once I turn eighteen I'm no longer a part of their family, I can move out and get a job and never look back. I was in the town with her one day, getting soap and stuff for our mother, and while I was in the shop there were these two ladies gossiping outside the door, they must not have noticed Posy, or known that I could hear them from inside the shop, but they were talking about our family, saying that they were sure I was going to leave, surprised I hadn't already. Then Posy walked up to them and tugged on one woman's sleeve, and said 'My brother isn't leaving us. He loves us.' and I came out and grabbed her and walked away. She cried the whole way back, and I told her not to worry, that I wasn't leaving. Then she just started crying harder and mumbling something about how they were just holding me back and that I shouldn't have to take care of them. It killed me to hear that. Since then every night she won't go to sleep until I'm home and have said goodnight. She used to ask every night if I would be there tomorrow, but I guess she grew out of that. I'm surprised she's okay with sleeping over. Normally she won't go to sleep if I'm not next to her."

"She loves you. That's why she doesn't want to be a burden. She loves you."

"You too. She absolutely adores you and Prim."

He takes my hand in his, rubbing a tiny circle on my palm as we walk in silence.

"You have no clue what is ridding on this." I whisper, tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.

"You outwitted the capitol once and you can do it again."

"But I didn't even mean to! just wanted to come home and I didn't want to kill him."

"Then think about what you could do when you try."

"But I can't. You don't get it. Snow has made personal threats on Prim and Mother and you and all of your family. If I step a toe out of line during the tour all of you are dead. I'm not risking that."

"He didn't do anything about it the first time."

"Yeah. I got lucky. Besides, he knew that if Prim died it would be too big of a coincidence. There were too many uprisings anyways. If something happens again, he won't hesitate. I mean, look at Haymitch."

"What about him?"

"You think he didn't ever have a family or a girlfriend or any friends?"

"What did he do?"

"I don't know, but it's pretty obvious that the Capitol doesn't want us to know. They never replay his Quell. He is never invited to interviews or parties. They are trying to hide him."

"Some how killing all of his family and friends seems like a terrible way to hide someone."

"Yeah, well, it hurt him, didn't it? I mean look at him. You've seem pictures of him when he was young, he wasn't always completely wasted."

"I guess I never thought about it..."

"Yeah, well, trust me, I've considered it too, and I didn't loose anyone. Yet."

"Katniss, you won't loose anyone. Your fame has made you completely and totally untouchable."

"No Gale. I'm not. No one is. No one ever is. Noe one ever has or ever will be."

"I know. It's all in Snow's hands now. Just try your hardest. And Katniss,"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mind if you have to act for anything. For the cameras, the bugs, or the people. Just do what you have to." He says.

Too bad that sometimes your best just isn't good enough. Mine wasn't.

* * *

**AN: So, my first real outtake. What do you think? Read and Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

KPOV

I wake to a start as my earwig is ringing.

"Who? Huh? What? Oh... hello. What is it Haymitch?" I answer.

"KATNISS!" He shouts.

"What did I do?"

He shouts again and I push off my chair and start pacing around our cubical yet again.

When I click it off I sit back down next to Peeta. He looks me up and down skeptically, then turns back to the screens.

"Would you like to go up to the roof. They are doing fine, should be a while until they need anything."

I bite my lip and nod, knowing what he wanted.

-0-

We kneel down by the wind chimes. He plucked a little flower from the bed and brushed back my hair, placing it behind my ear.

"I know that wasn't about the games Katniss. What did he say?"

"It was nothing." I whisper.

"Katniss. What was it about? Your family?"

"No, they are fine."

"The Hawthornes?"

"They are as good as you can expect."

"Then what is it?"

"Just some stuff about the districts."

"Why can't he tell me? I mean, he wouldn't know any more than we would."

"Yeah, he would, he has friends in all the districts, remember."

"Wouldn't they have him bugged though? And us? Is it really safe?"

"Yes, he's bugged, that's why he was talking to me." I hiss.

"What?"

"Like the gifts in the arena."

"What? I thought he was just trying to get you out, like I asked?"

"What? No. You never noticed that all the gifts came shortly after a kiss or something?"

"They did?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, I though you knew."

"Oh. So he's talking to you in shorthand or something?"

"Kinda. Every time he calls something happened. If he complains about a lack of meat in Greasy Sae's soup, it has to do with 10. Stuf like that."

"Did you arrange this before you left?"

"No, the whole district is bugged. I just picked up on it."

"Oh, so he just doesn't think I could figure it out." He says softly, running his fingers along the bottom side of the petals of a flower.

"No... Peeta, it isn't like that."

"Then what is it?"

"Well..."

"See. It's fine, Katniss, I know how it works."

"He really does like you more though. It's just necessity. That's the only reason he even speaks to me."

He smiles and leans over the flowers to kiss me on the cheek.

"You don't have to lie to me you know."

"No, seriously, Haymitch hates me. You're totally the favorite. When he asks me to wake him up, I throw ice water on him and let him thrash around the room swinging a knife. I really do think you're the favorite."

He steps over the flower bed and sits next to me. I lean my head into his shoulder and he leans against my head.

"I love you." He whispers, stroking my hair over my shoulder.

I don't answer, but instead turn my head and kiss him.

He smiles and stands up, helping me up after him.

"We should be heading back." He says.

"We should."

We ride the elevator down into the mentoring center. Half way to our cubical I notice the red light flashing on the screen.

"Shit!" I whisper-shout, "Shit shit shit!"

When I look at the screen featuring Gale and Poppy, they are running from some type of a fire mutt. The game makers must be having fun sending fire after the cousin of the oh-so-famous girl on fire. Gale was carrying Poppy on his back, and though she was very light, you could see she had taken her toll, he must have been running for a long time.

I glance across the map and note the red trackers that signal mutts. There are about twenty, with new ones popping up every minute.

"How much is the burn ointment again?"

"Uh... the cost just doubled. Twenty thousand."

"Dammit." I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"How much do we have?"

"A bit less than fifteen."

I take a beep breath, something my mother used to tell me to do when I got frustrated.

"Okay, we'll figure something out. If one of them is burned, he should know how to patch them up for long enough to get by before we can get them some medicine."

"We'll make it work, it's fine."

He rubs circles between my shoulder blades and I feel myself begin to doze off again until a large hand falls on my other shoulder. I snap my head up and flinch away.

"Hey," An unfamiliar voice whispers in my ear.

"What the-" I start, spinning around to get a look at him.

Behind me stands a tall, muscular man, with reddish brownish hair and a sea green eyes. Finnick. Victor of the sixty fifth games.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Nothing, just noticed your cousin on the screen by the bar. What's up with the limp?"

"He dropped a knife on his foot a few years ago, _what do you want__?" _I repeat.

"I was wondering what you did to get him reaped. Why not one of lover boy's brothers or something?"

"What the hell is tha-"

"Well, clearly they are going after you, not him. So what did you do? I mean, we all saw the berries, but they never aired who pulled them out, just you two eating them... oh... I get it. It was your idea, wasn't it?" He says softly.

I'm silent and stare at the screen, watching as Gale stumbles along away from the mutts.

"Either that, or you didn't do something they asked you too... that's how Annie got here you know."

Annie Cresta. Victor of the 70th games. She went mad after watching her district partner's beheading.

"I screwed up, I tried to tell them no, next thing I know, she's on the train and I'm her mentor. Just don't slip up. Do what they tell you. He may make it out alive. And don't go for the girl. Don't try and save them both. Choose one or the other." He hisses in my ear, so fast that some of the words blur together. "If you need money, there's a party tonight. Come with me, I'll show you what to do."

I give a hint of a nod, never turning my head in his direction.

He steps back and glances over my screens again.

"Annie!" He calls across the room, waving her over from the bar.

She walks over and he wraps his arms around her, being careful to shield her view of the screen.

"Want to go up to our room?"

She smiles at him and takes his hand as they walk off to the elevator, his arm slung around her waist.

One thing he said nagged me though, '_I tried to tell them no,'_. What on earth would Finnick Odair be telling anyone no about. He was one of those victors that was the Capitol's lap dog. What's the worst he's ever done, declined an invitation to a party?

"Katniss, what was that about?" Peeta asked.

"Um, nothing... we're going to a party tonight."

"What?"

"There's some Capitol party going on. We're going to go."

"Oh. Okay. I though you hated those parties?"

"I do." I whisper, void of any emotion.

"Oh."

-0-

Shortly after dinner, Effie met us in the mentor center.

"I assume you got your invitations to the party tonight?" She asks.

"Um... no... Finnick told us about it, but we never got any invitations."

"Didn't you check your inbox?"

"Our what?"

"Your inbox. They send out announcements, invitations and such through them. Here." She points at an icon on the screen that looks like an envelope.

It opens to a screen with a chart on it, listing names, subjects, urgency, date received, etc.

"Oh, here it is," She opens one from Plutarch Heavensbee. The new Head Gamemaker.

It reads,

_You are invited to celebrate the 74th annual Hunger Games with_

_Plutarch Heavensbee!_

_ Come to the ground level of the training center tonight to celebrate to start of the 74th Games! _

_There will be food, dancing, and plenty to drink!_

_All mentors are invited!_

And by invited, they mean required to attend of course. I guess they thought that if they put enough punctuation in it, it would automatically become enjoyable.


	21. Chapter 21

KPOV

That night, Cinna had laid out an outfit across my bed. A shimmery gold, full length ball gown that appeared to be made of millions, if not billions, of tiny gold chips about half the size of the nail on my pinky finger. They were attached with gold thread over a loose, flowing, sheer black slip. It was strapless with a tiny gold clutch and gold stiletto heels. The black fabric was fitted at the top before cascading down into the skirt. I was struggling to pull the fitted black fabric over my hips when the door opened. I reflexively ducked into the open bathroom and poked my head out.

"Oh," I sigh. "Just you."

"Yes, now let me see you in that dress." Cinna replies.

I bite my lip and step out in the mangled, half way on dress. He chuckles and works his way through the fabric until he found a certain panel that seemed to go directly down the middle of my back. Actually, it was exactly down my spine, I had noticed it when I was looking for a zipper. He tugs at it until the top is flipped down so that his signature tag is sticking out at my lower back. He then undoes a series of button from the inside.

"You are kidding me." I mutter.

"I didn't want them to be able to see the buttons from the outside." He excuses himself.

I roll my eyes at the notion and step into the heels as he holds the dress in place.

"I'll send in the girl avox to help you." he says, walking out of the room.

This confuses me, because if there is one thing I have learned, it's that no one from the capitol is prudish. Especially the stylists. But, sure enough, a few minutes later, the red head avox from my last trip to the Capitol walked in and nodded to the bathroom. I obediently stepped in and she crouched on the floor next to me, ducking her head under the skirt of my dress and reaching up my back to the buttons. Now I understand why Cinna sent her in, this would be crossing a line, even for him. The fabric was so fitted that her arms were pressed against my back the entire time.

"Did Cinna have to teach you how to do the buttons for this dress?" I ask after she had finished and was re-positioning something on the back.

She nods in the mirror, sets a tiny box down on the counter next to the sink, and hurries out.

I flip open the box to fins a set of earrings, a necklace, a number of bracelets, and something I couldn't identify. I slide the earrings into place, slip the bangles on, clip on the necklace, and snap the lid shut, planning to ask Cinna about the unidentifiable jewelry. Everything is gold, the numerous bangles, the chains dangling from my ears, tickling my shoulders, the choker fastened around my neck, all solid gold.

A light tapping came from the door. Peeta.

"Come in." I answer.

I hear him come in, his prosthetic leg thumping along behind him, followed by a faint squeak as he sits on the bed.

I step out of the bathroom, still holding the box.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

I step towards him and sit next to him on the bed. He's in a black tux with a gold tie and gold cuff links.

"What's in the box?"

I flip it open and tilt it in his direction.

"I'm not really sure."

He smiles and slips it from the box. Upon closer examination, it is a satiny black fabric that is bunched up around an elastic band, tiny gold jewels and bows decorating it.

"Katniss,"

"Yes?"

"It's a garter."

"A what?"

"People wear them to weddings, mostly in the capitol, but some of the weddings of the richer people from the town include them."

"What is it?"

He bites his lip and drops it into my lap.

"It, uh... goes around your leg."

"Oh." I say flatly.

I slide off one of the heels and try to pull my foot up so I could put it on but the gold mesh doesn't allow much movement, no matter how loose it may be. After a few more failed tried, I drop it back into the box and flip it shut.

"I'll ask Cinna later." I mumble, pushing the box back behind me.

Just as I say this, he walks back into the room.

"So, let's see that dress." He smiles.

I stand up and attempt to spin as I had been instructed to do so many times before, but with the height of the heels he had given me this time... well... it ended with me tripping over my own feet and stumbling forward into him, loosing both shoes in the process.

He laughs and give me and hand back to the bed where he opens the box, takes the garter out, and slides it onto my leg until it is at my mid thigh.

"There, perfect."

He puts the shoes back in front of me and I obediently step into them.

"Right, be in the prep center in ten minutes, we still need to do hair and make-up."

"I thought that was usually before the dress?"

"Yes, but this time we were more concerned with smearing the makeup while you were getting dressed."

I nod and try to stand up, but imediatly sit back down when I start to loose my balance. Cinna apologizes for the heels and hurries out of the room, presumably to the prep center.

Peeta stands up and offers me his arm, which I graciously take. And with the struggle it was to walk in these shoes, it turned out that we needed every second of those ten minutes to make it to the prep center, even with the elevator.

"Katniss!" Octavia gasps when she sees my nails, chewed, dried blood caked underneath them from when I scratched myself in my sleep.

"We're going to have to use the fake ones again!"

I groan and plop down on a chair. Flavius whisks a large cape around me, clipping shut a tight collar and shoving my hands through two holes with elastic around the wrists. No arms though, just the holes. It took around two hours for them to finish my hair, make-up and nails. My hair had been put into a similar style to what my mother had done for me on the day of the reaping last year, but it had golden pins in it, studding it with gems. My make-up was simple but dramatic, dark eyeliner, maroon lipstick and some basic corrections covering old scars. The nails Octavia had put on me were longer than what I normally kept my nails at, but not ridiculously so. They had a diagonal gold tip with a rhinestone on the ring fingers.

"Ready?" Effie squaked, "It's a big big big night!"

She whisked us outside, into the car, down the street, and into the hall where the party was being held in a matter of about ten minutes. It was the fastest I had moved in these heels yet, though I was desperately clinging to Peeta the whole time.

-0-

The inside of the hall was decorated with draping curtains and shimmering lights, and every wall was lined with food. I noticed the table full of the tiny glasses of the liquid that makes you throw up and made a mental note to steer clear of it. We walk to the table of soups and I take a shot glass of the pumpkin soup that I had fallen in love with last time I attended one of these parties. Peeta takes one I don't recognize, but it looks like potatoes in a creamy liquid with tiny bits of fried pork on top.

"So kiddies, how's the capitol treating you?" A familiar voice says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah? How's it been going. You're at the wrong table though, all the fun is over there." Another person says, I can feel the shift of weight as he leans on Peeta.

"Get _off_ Haymitch. What are you even doing here?"

"Well, this party was for all the victors, wasn't it?" Chaff replies, sloshing his drink over our heads to clink his glass against Haymitch's.

"I thought it was just the mentors." I grumble, brushing his hand off my shoulder.

"Usually is, this year they sent a train for us though."

Peeta takes a step away from them and I follow behind him, grabbing his arm again.

"Why do you think they invited all the victors?" Peeta asks as we step away.

My face drops at the realization I come to. They value the victors, if for nothing else, then for celebrity aperances and to remind everyone about the games.

"What is it?" He asks, noticing my expression.

"Nothing. I just need to talk to Haymitch, that's all."

"Katniss, what is it?"

"_Nothing_." I say cautiously, glancing around the room full of Capitol citizens.

He nods and guides me to the dance floor where people seem to be accumulating as a slow song comes on. They arrange themselves in a circle, each with their partner. It begins like any other waltz. I recognize the steps from dancing lessons with Effie. But as the music increased with intensity, the dancers began to spin from one partner to the other. When it is our turn, I spin away from Peeta and stumble into the arms of Finnick.

"See anyone who looks rich?" He whispers in my ear.

"You mean _all of them_?"

"Just keep your eye out for a man who looks like he has money to spare, isn't in a committed relationship, and is somewhat reasonable."

"Why?"

"You need sponsors, right?" He says a bit louder than strictly necessary, dropping me down into a dip.

"Yeah."

"So flirt with them." He whispers.

I give him a look of pure astonishment at first, until I realize that he is serious. Things begin to fall into place with my outfit. The seemingly gaudy design and the nearly see-through fabric. The lack of fabric over my shoulders and the choker finally make sense. They make me fit in. A quick glance around the room confirms this. But the one thing that is so subtly different, is how my dress is perfectly opaque, the ridiculous difficulty to get it on or off, the heels leaving me almost permanently bound to Peeta for concern of my safety, the garter acting as a reminder of my engagement to myself. It was clear what Cinna's mesage was. I'm taken. The clothes of the other victors weren't nearly as modest, thigh length slits in the dresses, low necklines and sheer fabric covered the dance floor. Though this was mostly confined to the younger girls, there were a few men who were dressed provocatively. Finnick for one, had the top four buttons of his shirt undone, the front of his suit jacket completely undone, and his bow tie hung, untied, around his neck.

"Face it, they're animals, use it to your advantage."

I grit my teeth as he spins me away to another man, this one from the Capitol. Plutarch Heavensbee. Head game maker.

"Don't waste your time," He smiles, "I'm married."

I furrow my brow.

"How did you-"

"You're a new mentor, probably trying to get your cousin out alive, and you just finished talking to Finnick. Besides, everyone does the same thing, why do you think this party has such a great turn out every year? Besides, four hasn't had another victor in years for a reason, I mean, if we lost Finnick then the parties wouldn't have half this kind of a turnout."

I feel my cheeks turn red as he spins me off to Haymitch, who has strategically placed himself to dance with me next.

"Just realized what this party was for, didn't you?" He asks.

I nod numbly and he pulls me closer to whisper in my ear.

"Don't know why they got me out of there, but something big is about to go down. Something they've been planning." He hisses.

When it comes time for the dip, he awkwardly hold me as I lean back about three inches, afraid to go any further for fear of falling off my shoes.

"New shoes?" He asks.

I force a grin as I am spun off to the next person. President Snow.

"So, how's your trip been so far?" He asks.


	22. Chapter 22

I can feel the color still drained from my face as I walk from the study where Snow had been talking to me.

"Katniss, what is it?" Peeta asks immediately after I've walked back into the dance hall.

"Nothing." I say, barely above a whisper.

He nods and glances around at the Capitol guests. This wasn't the place to talk. He wraps his arms around my waist for a slow dance- you couldn't stand still for a moment here without being asked to dance by some creep.

"I'll tell you later." I mumble into his shoulder.

"Okay. When do you think we can leave?"

"I don't know. What time is it?"

"Just before midnight."

"Okay." I manage, forcing back a light sob.

"You're all right now." He whispers.

"Mhmm." I manage, trying to pull myself together.

We swayed back and forth, my face buried into his lapel, stopping the last of the tears before the next song started and I would have to look up.

_You're smart enough to know the orders that have been placed. So why do you even try? _He had said. _I know why. I know why you keep going. Because, as I told Crane, the only thing stronger than fear, is hope. And if there is one thing that I run this country on, it's fear. And if there's one thing you demand to cling to, it's hope. And so, as you see, I must put a stop to that._

"So, I take that as he isn't making it out?" Finnick's voice whispers in my other ear.

I snap my head around and there he is, a few more buttons had been undone on his shirt since I had danced with him just a few minutes before.

"Just don't listen to him. He told you himself, hope _is_ stronger than fear."

"What... how did you..."

"He gave me the same speech."

"And Annie... she's alright..."

"Well, define alright." He mutters bitterly, glancing over his shoulder to where Annie was standing off in a corner with some other victors who must have been her friends.

"Well, she looks alright at least. She seems to have a lot of friends here. And, you know, she's alive."

"They aren't her friends because of a charismatic personality or anything you know." He hisses, taking my by the hand and leading me in the next dance. "They're making sure no one goes near her. I asked them to, but they probably would have anyway."

A slow dance comes on and he sways back and forth with me.

"When she came home, she was broken. She wouldn't talk to anyone, not me, not the doctors, not her friends. No one." He whispers in my ear, "She can barely get through the prep teams without bursting into tears, if one of those... men, if you can even call them that, got their hands on her... well... I don't know what I would do. Look at the way they have her dressed up, it's sick."

I glance back to the corner with her and notice that she's against the wall, the others casually surrounding her, preventing anyone from coming near her. Then I get a better look at her clothes. Finnick was right. She was in what looked like what you would imagine a sea princess wearing, with a top that resembled the ruffles of a shell and a skirt that flowed back, only there was a slit traveling from the floor to her hip, and the way it was gathered made it look dangerously easy for someone to slip their hand into it while dancing. The top was very low cut, and the ruffles were positioned just so, in a way that barely covered her. **(AN: It is based off the dress from a youtube video. Go to this link, once they start the chariot costumes, wait for district four, it's exactly how I pictured Annie's dress. Sort of a greek goddess type thing. I obviously couldn't say that since it's in Katniss' POV and they don't know about life before panem. here's the link: watch?v=2aazP9w11Oo)**

"At least Cinna wouldn't do that to you." He mumbles.

I look down at my dress again, reminding myself of how gracious I am for Cinna, when I notice a subtle change, the bottom, just the hem, was turning a slightly reddish color, and though it was hard to tell how far up it came because of the glinting of the gold, I had a feeling it was growing.

"How long have we been here?"

Finnick seems to come back into reality as he glances at a pocket watch.

"Half an hour, forty five minutes, something like that."

"And how long does this usually last?"

"Well into morning. Most people go home around six a.m."

I do some quick mental calculations and figure that by the time I go home, I will have been engulfed in flames. Leave it to Cinna.

"What, your dress?" He grins.

"You noticed?"

"Yeah, Cinna's good. You got lucky."

We sway in silence for a moment before he invited me to come meet Annie. I make it a few steps on my own before I grab onto him for balance. A devilish grin plays across his face and he swings me into his arms, carrying me much like a newly wed.

"What are you doing?" I laugh.

"Well, face it, it takes you forever to walk in those things."

"And you don't think Annie will mind?"

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and yeah, she'll be fine with it, this is just how it is when we're in the capitol. Kick your leg up a bit. Not enough for anyone to see up your skirt, but almost." He instructs.

At first I think he's joking, until he doesn't break into a smile.

"You're serious?" I ask.

"As a game maker trying to kill you."

I roll my eyes at the lame attempt at Hunger Games Humor because that's just how it works, you laugh about it or you cry about it, and right now, laughing felt better.

"Just go with it, tease them. They'll sign away the money to try and impress you, then you blow them off in the most polite way possible like the good little girl you are?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fine, good little killer you are."

I glare at him for a moment before glancing at Peeta to make sure he wasn't watching- he was.

"I can't. My fiance is watching us. Put me down." I demand in the most polite way possible.

"Peeta? He'll understand"

"You can't just dismiss him like that."

"Well, he either understands, or he'll have to pretty quick. You think I like seeing them parade Annie around like this? No, but I suck it up and deal with it because if I try and help, it just gets that much worse. He'll live with it. Just kick. And make sure no one sees your garter."

I look down at where his hand is resting on my mid thigh, right on top of the garter. I flick my toe up about a foot and look back to him.

"There. Now put me down." I say in a slightly more demanding tone then before.

He smiles and says "One minute."

He walked me the rest of the way to the cluster of people before setting me down next to Annie.

"Hey Annie," He whispers, quickly kissing the top of her head, trying to hide it from the sight of the Capitol women.

"Hi Finn." She smiles.

"This is Katniss, from twelve."

"Right, hi." She says softly, holding out a hand.

I shake it and immediately put my hand back against the wall to keep balance.

"You're also from district four?" I ask.

"Yes, I used to be a fisher."

"Does everyone from four fish?"

"Pretty much. There are the people who sort fish in the factories and the ones who search for urchins in the tide pools, but it's mostly fishers."

We stand in an awkward silence for a while when I see another person walk up out of the corner of my eye. It was Johanna Mason, from seven. She's dressed just as gaudily as the rest of the girls here.

"Hey, Katniss, right?" She says.

"Yeah, Johanna?"

"Yep. Just sayin', Snow's pissed at you. Play your cards right, maybe that cousin of yours 'll come out partially intact like Annie here."

Annie's pupils dilated and she seemed to zone out. She clapped her hands over her ears and and started whimpering. Finnick stepped between her and Johanna and leaned her head into his shoulder. Johanna rolls her eyes, but Finnick swings his head around and glares at her, mouthing the words, _this isn't over. _She sticks her head out and quirks and eyebrow, daring him to say something.

She looks back to me and nods to a table a few steps away and we walk over to it. She takes a shot of some type of alcohol off the table and knocks it back.

"What did you do that for?" I ask.

"What? I was thirsty, at least I'm not drunk. Like Haymitch and Chaff over there." She nods her head in the direction of the two men who seemed to be having a good time scarring some of the more sophisticated ladies as they took shots of liquor.

"I wasn't talking about that, why did you have to say that to her."

"Why not? What's going to happen?"

"Well, for one, Finnick is pretty mad at you."

"Please, he wouldn't say anything in front of her." She spits, taking another shot off the table.

"So what? Why should that even matter?"

"Look, You're a little hard to swallow. With your tacky romantic drama and your defender-of-the-helpless act. Only it isn't an act, which makes you more unbearable. Please feel free to take this personally. All of it. Really." She hisses venomously.

"Why do you go around acting like this? If nothing else, don't you ever get the Capitol mad at you?" I question.

"I'm not like you. They can't hurt me, there's no one left I love."

With that, she walks away.

"She's always like that." Finnick calls from the corner where he was still holding Annie.

I hobble my way back over to them in my heels.

"You've got to give her a break though, she was serious, she doesn't have anyone left." He sounds almost sad for her.

The fact that he can feel that way towards someone who acts like that to him, and especially Annie is astonishing to me. The way that he goes around, flirting with everyone, acting like the finest luxury in the world was himself... I never would have thought him to fall in love with a mad girl, or to defend someone like Johanna, or even to be helping me out.

-0-

Peeta walks up and offers me a drink, then has a few dances with Annie while I talk to Finnick about strategy. The night drones on until Effie finally says it's time to go. It was about six-thirty when we finally left to return to our rooms. I woke up about a half hour later to my own screams just as Peeta was coming in the room.

"Sorry." I whisper, getting up.

"It's fine, just go back to sleep."

"No, I'm going down to check out the games."

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Okay, I'll come with."

"You don't need to do that. I"m fine."

"Yes, I do Katniss, you aren't going to sleep unless you know someone is at that monitor."

"It's already daylight outside, I won't be able to sleep anyways, just get some sleep and I promise, I'll take a nap later."

He nods and collapses against my bed as I walk out the door.

The mentor center is completely empty except a few avoxes here and there. I guess everyone was still asleep after the party last night. I sit down in the district four cubical and scan over the screens, they seem to be doing fine, Poppy is walking on her own and they continue to trek through the woods. They both appear to have minor burns, but overall look alright. I'm going through some statistics and checking a few numbers and realize that someone is standing behind me.

I look over my shoulder to see Finnick.

"Where did you learn to walk like that?"

He quirks an eyebrow and grins, daring me to ask again. I shake my head, deciding I don't _really _want to know when he got so good a walking so softly that he wouldn't wake even the lightest sleeper...

"Why are you awake?" I ask.

"I could say the same to you." He smirks.

"Couldn't sleep, you?"

"Annie just fell asleep, I figured you would be down here."

I push my chair back and stand up, turning to look at him.

"What do you want?" I manage through a yawn.

He glances around the room, eyeing a few cameras, then looks back to me.

"I want to help you and your... cousin."

I stare at him for a moment, then sit back down next to the screen and pat the chair next to me. This time yesterday, I would have rolled my eyes and told him to leave me alone, but seeing the way he treated Annie and Johanna, and hearing how Annie got reaped made me believe that he truly does want to help.

"How are they doing?"

"Fine. Both are burned a bit, they have an okay supply of food, and I think Poppy's ankle is okay."

He nods and flicks through a few screens, looking at clips of different tributes and settling on the career pack.

"Do you have money?"

"Not really."

He runs a hand through his tousled hair and sighs.

"I'll invite over some people tonight... we can get the money."

"I... I can't do that." I stutter, not being able to so much as imagine myself doing that.

"It's fine, you don't have to."

"I can't just let you do that for me. They don't even need anything right now."

"What about when they do? What do you do then, just hope they can hold out until you raise the money? He's a bow hunter, isn't he? They'll need a bow. Weapons are expensive. There's only one bow in play and it belong's to the careers. It's identical to the one from your games. It's obvious what's going on, so quit trying to hide it. I got Annie out, let me help you now.

I close my eyes and try to convince myself otherwise, but he is right, if I want to get Gale out alive, I'll need help.

"Okay. What should I do?"

"I'll bring you the money tomorrow. Until then, keep an eye on stuff. And you're going to need to make a choice about the girl pretty soon."

* * *

**AN: Okay, a few notes on Finnick and Annie. First of all, I was having a hard time describing Annie's dress since it is clearly supposed to portray er as Greek goddess of the sea and Katniss didn't know much about life before Panem, so I didn't have much of a reference. Just picture it like a tunic/toga/dress type thing. Better yet, just check out this video: watch?v=2aazP9w11Oo. I based the dress solely after the D4 girl's chariot costume. Second thing, Finnick and Annie's past in this story is based off of another fanfic of mine that I haven't posted yet. I may post it separately, or as an outtake under this story. It would be another one of those really long outtakes though. Tell me what you think about that, separately or an outtake? **

**And, as always, read and review! I'm shooting for four reviews before I post the next chapter, I want to hear it all, the good , the bad and downright terrible. **


	23. Chapter 23

**FPOV:**

I don't really know why I decided to help them. It may have been that I just wanted to see him come out whole when Annie didn't, or that I wanted to see Katniss succeed when I didn't. I really can't specify one thing, but I don't think it was, one thing that is.

"Hey Finn." Annie rolled over, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"Morning love." I smile, kissing her forehead.

She sighs and pulls the blanket up to her chin, cuddling into my side.

"When can we go home?" She asks.

"I don't know, it may be awhile." I whisper into her hair, "You alright here?"

"Mhmm. I'm fine." She says, perfectly level.

A tear drips onto my shoulder and her grip around my torso tightens.

"It's fine, it's fine." I whisper.

She lets out a long breath and relaxes against me.

"What time is it?" I ask, trying to make conversation.

"About eight. Do you want to go back to sleep?" She asks.

"I'm fine."

"Really? You were out late last night."

"Did I wake you when I got back?" I ask.

"It's fine, really." She murmurs.

I run my fingers through her hair, letting it trail back across her waist.

"Should we order breakfast?" I offer.

"Finnick, just go back to sleep, you just got back two hours ago, you need to rest."

I grin and roll over to face her, laying a leg across her hips and burring my face into her hair.

"Goodnight." She whispers before I doze off.

Later that day, when I finally woke up for good, it was past noon. Annie was sitting up next to me in her nightgown, reading a book in the light coming from the television wall. She had set it to look like the beach from back home, only there weren't any fishers. It seemed almost lonely, but in a peaceful way.

"What are you reading?" I ask, rubbing my eyes as I sit up.

"Just an etiquette book. Velneet wanted me to read it."

"I swear, that lady has issues." I whisper, pulling myself out of bed.

"She's our escort, what do you expect?"

"I expect her to leave you alone. When did she even give that to you?"

"About an hour ago."

"And you didn't get me up?"

"I didn't have time to, she was in and out in about twenty seconds. Besides, I felt guilty waking you up."

"Annie, I'm fine. I've slept more today than I have in the past week combined-"

"My point exactly." She interrupts, setting the book down.

"Any other visitors?" I ask, trying to move on.

"Yeah, your stylist wants your tux back."

"She came in?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't she just take it?"

She purses her lips and mutters under her breath, "She wanted to, trust me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Finn, you're wearing it."

I look down and realize I am. The zipper's been ripped out of the pants along with one of the back pockets and most of the buttons on the shirt. All done by a rather... interesting client.

"Oh... yeah. Sorry." I mumble, sliding the pants and shirt off, throwing them in a pile on the floor. I guess I lost track of the suit jacket at some point last night. "There's a private party tonight, victors, escorts and stylists." I announce, trying to change the subject.

"Do I have to go?" She asks.

"I think so, it shouldn't be as bad as the last one you were at though. Most of the stylists will be off in a corner talking about the latest fashion and the escorts will be trying to ease-drop, so we shouldn't have much issues with people."

She forces a smile and gets out of bed, letting the book drop to the floor as she positions herself on a couch in front of the screen. I order lunch and we sit there talking, watching the waves roll in and out. It felt like, if you sat there long enough, you would be transported back home and you could watch those waves for real, feeling the sea breeze and the sand between your toes, tasting the salty mist rolling off the ocean. Just being there in no specific time with no real reason besides just existing, with nothing holding you back and nothing weighing you down. But it never would work, because when you come out of that trance, you're sitting on a velvet couch, not sand, and you have an appointment with the prep team in an hour and you need to get ready for the day, despite the fact that it's already half way over for most people. Not the kind I work with though, they were all just getting up, but most people are well into their day by now.

Around dinner time we are requested in the mentoring center. It is required that all mentors spend some time mentoring every day, mostly to keep the drunks from slacking off.

We wander down to the mentor center at our leisure and Annie and I sit in the lounge, trying to ignore the screen. Our tributes this year didn't look promising, not sweet or innocent or pretty enough to get sponsors, not strong enough to make it on their own, not enough motivation to survive... nothing. They weren't going to make it. Nothing else to it. No need to watch it in slow motion.

Something caught my eye and I glanced to the screen. More fire. Without even checking to see where it was I snapped my head back to District 12's mentor station. I look back and Annie and cup her cheek in my hand.

"Just don't look, don't pay attention to it." I whisper, turning her chair further away from the screen.

She nods slightly and hold her head on her hands, curling her knees up to her chest.

I hurry to the cubical I assume Katniss is in and drop a wad of cash on the desk.

She turns around, forehead wrinkled, brow furrowed, dark circles beneath her eyes from lack of sleep and her hair pulled into a ragged braid.

"What's this for?" She asks.

I raise my eyebrows and ease down onto the desk.

"Thank you." She sighs, rubbing a hand over her temple.

"Sure thing, now get your cousin some medicine." I whisper, running a finger along her braid.

I clamp my jaw shut and close my eyes. If only Annie had come out like her. I don't want Annie to be like Katniss, don't get me wrong, I love Annie because of who she is, there isn't much left besides that. But if only she had been a bit stronger, she could have come out whole. Or if she weren't so damn compassionate But that's what makes her who she is, the girl I love, her compassion, the way she doesn't judge anyone for any reason. I'm not saying she doesn't have people she dislikes, but she's built that dislike through her own opinions and feelings, not those of others. She didn't walk into the Capitol the first time hating everyone, she didn't look at them as _The Capitol_, a united force of people who are cruel and inhumane, she looked at them the same way she does the people in the districts. They were born into this as much as we were into our lives, and have been taught to live like this. They didn't have any more choice than we did, and there isn't a reason to think any less of them because of that, unless they have proven themselves to be like that.

I couldn't make myself think that way. I just couldn't.

"Thank you," she says, barely audible.

"You're welcome." I say.

"You don't have to do this, you know." She says.

"Yeah Katniss, I do." I say somberly.

She forces a bit of a grin and swivels back around to the computer screen.

"If you don't mind my asking, where is that fiance of yours?"

"Upstairs. He's dealing with Effie. Some big party or something tonight and he's trying to get us out of it."

"That isn't going to work."

"I know. I just wanted him to go for a minute." she says.

She holds her head in her hands and groans, leaning back into the back of her chair.

"Now, that isn't the way you should be talking about your fiance."

I set two fingers underneath her chin and lift her face up to look me in the eye.

"You're strong, so is he." I nod at the screen playing a video of Gale, "And you're going to make this work. I know you will."

She closes her eyes and nods her head ever so slightly, slowly moving it up and down.

"I'll make it work." She says, "Because that's all I can do. I can't change what we've been given, can't change what has happened, but I can change what happens next."

And with that, she turns back around to he screen and starts taking her notes again, tapping her way through screens and checking prices, statistics, locations and health. After about five minutes she turns back to me, her eyes bright and gleaming with life.

"Gale knows how to make a salve for burns, he can do that himself, but he needs his hunting equipment if they're going to make it much longer. I've been taking notes of every animal I've seen. In the wooded section there are mostly things he knows how to kill, gut, skin, cook and eat. But he can't do any of that without his bow and snares."

"So, he needs a bow, string, arrows, and snare wire?"

"Yeah, but I've been taking prices, the bow, string and arrow all come together, but they're really expensive."

She points to a spot on the screen and it automatically zooms in to the bow set._  
_

I let out a long, low whistle.

"Yeah. It's about half of the cost of your trident."

"My trident was that much?"

She looks at me in astonishment and nods.

"Your trident was the singe most expensive gift to any one tribute in the history of the games. Your gifts totaled to over twice the monetary value of any other tribute ever. How do you _not_ know that?"

"I... uh... I..."

I scratch the back of my head. Once I got out of the arena, I never looked back, not until Annie was reaped, then I only looked into the mentors of the tributes she was against, not myself. I thought I already knew enough about my games and I didn't need to make an attack on myself, so it seemed like a waste of time.

"What about you?" I ask.

"Average in every way. Except Cinna, I wore the first ever flaming clothes to any party or ceremony... or anything for that matter."

"What about your popularity?" I ask, "You cannot possibly be _average_ in any way when it come to your name."

"I know, my name is one of the most well known among the capitol, right Behind President Snow. But that doesn't mean much since the poll was in the Capitol and most of them wanted me dead."

I raise an eye brow and nod at her, pursing my lips.

"You ought to talk to Annie about that some time. She may change your mind about that." I say.

-0-

That night, we went to that party, all the stylist chatted among them selves and the mentors looked on enviously. All except Cinna. Since it was a formal dinner, there were tables this time, and Cinna sat at a table with Annie, Katniss, Peeta and I. He talked about how we were doing and asked about our families and gave Katniss a package to take home to Prim and I finally understood how Annie could feel how she does about them. Because they aren't all the same, no one is. They are the way they are because of how they were brought up and where they were born, the same as us. And when it boiled down to it, they were the same people, good, bad, evil, kind, generous, ostentatious, outrageous human beings that are just different. That doesn't mean I wouldn't relish killing a good deal of them, but I would at least think twice before a genocide.


	24. Chapter 24

**PPOV:**

A lot of people wonder how on earth I fell in love with a girl that I had hardly even spoken to, and in truth, I didn't know myself. Most of the guys at our school had a crush on her at some point, though not many would admit it since she was from the Seam. They all attributed it to looks, and I guess I didn't have much else to go off of either. But they always looked at how pretty she was, don't get me wrong, she's absolutely beautiful, radiant really, but that wasn't why I fell in love with her. I never could pin one thing down unless I was looking at her, and even then, my mind seemed to flutter about from one thing to another.

The fire in her eyes when she set her mind to something.

Her utter refusal to bow her head to anyone.

How she stood perfectly tall in the face of any oppression.

The way she would fight through anything in the world if she had a good reason.

She never saw any of that though, all she saw in herself was the flaws. The fact that she had essentially failed in keeping her family safe by drawing attention to herself in the games. How many nights they had gone hungry because she hadn't caught or shot anything in the woods. Everything that Prim had ever have to go without was her fault in her eyes. What she couldn't see was that no other person in our whole district had an ounce of the courage or wit or selflessness she had. That if any other person had been faced with the struggles she had, they would have given up long ago.

We had recently gotten back from a party the night before and I assume she was sleeping in when I heard a shout from her room. I ran in and shook her awake, holding her as she flailed for a few seconds until she realized that she was okay.

"Who was it?" I ask, cradling her head in my shoulder.

"P-P-P-Prim and Posy and Rory and Vick and... and Poppy."

I brush the hair back from her face and lean her back against the pillows, pulling the blankets up over her shoulder. She grabs my by the arm like she always does, but before she has a chance to make sure that I won't leave, I assure her of the fact. She curls up in the blankets, laying an arm over my chest and resting her head on my shoulder.

Later that day, around mid morning, Effie came rushing in. The second she saw me her hand flicked up to cover her mouth, which I presume was gaping at us. I hold a finger to my lips and slowly sit up, swing my feet off the edge of he bed and walk over to her.

"She just fell asleep, can we talk out side?" I ask.

"No, I came to wake her up. She needs to go down to the prep center to get ready for the interview tonight. So do you." She says, not taking the courtesy to lower her voice.

I glance at Katniss to see that she's still asleep.

"Another interview? All we've done since we got here is go to parties and interviews." I complain.

"Yes, now wake her up, put some clothes on, and get down to the prep center." She orders, turning on her heel and walking out as quickly as her spiked heel allowed.

I shake Katniss awake as gently as I can, explain the situation, then leave for my room to get dressed.

**KPOV:**

I laid back on a plush chair while Octavia filed down my nails and Flavius arranged my hair into intricate braids. My foot was tapping an I was grinding my teeth in frustration that I was expected to mentor while they were hauling me off to interviews and parties and functions ever day. In the middle of my inner monologue Finnick came sauntering in. I pulled at the neck of my robe a bit and will it to be longer, to no avail.

"Hey." He says, sitting on the couch next to me.

"Hi," I say, "What are you doing here?"

"Thought you might want an update on your tributes. They're resting in a tree, Gale must have made some of that salve you were talking about because Poppy has some gross black tar stuff smeared on her calf and he has some all over his shoulder. Let me tell you, that stuff is disgusting, I would die before I looked like that." He says in a humorous tone.

I guess I have just become a bit too accustomed to his real self that he only showed in private, seeing how he acted around other people was a bit shocking to me. I had heard of his attitude, how he acted like he owned the world, how he was incredibly vain and extraordinarily handsome, but I had gotten so used to the kind, smart Finnick that fell in love with Annie, stayed with her even after she went mad, and has given up his whole life for.

"Yeah. Sure that you would. What are the prices for the bows like?"

"About the same, I think they've plateaued since the game makers realized you weren't interested. Probably looking forward to the excitement of your cousin crafting his own bow or something like that. I assume that, being related to you, he can do that?"

"_I_ can't make my own bows. I've never even tried. I doubt he can. Honestly I doubt he's even any good with a bow, he's better at more intricate stuff, like knots. He'd be better off with some good wire for snares."

"Yeah, I figured that out when he caught a guy in one and slit his throat while he was hanging from his leg." He scoffs.

"He _what_?" I ask, appalled that he would do such a thing.

"Hey, don't shoot the mesanger. It must have happened overnight. When I checked the kills last night, he only had two, and this morning he had one more so I played it back and he had caught some guy by the leg in one of his snares. He slit his throat and laid the body out in a meadow, arms crossed over the chest and everything, looked like he was giving the poor guy a funeral. Even cleaned up the slash on the throat. Funny huh?"

"It's not funny, it's respect for the dead." I mutter, wrapping the thin robe more securely around my shoulders, "And what about the other kill, I only knew about the first one."

"Um... I think he stabbed some girl through the eye with a hunting knife. Why do you ask?"

"Because, he's my cousin, I care about him, and it doesn't sound like him to go around killing people."

"Right, okay," he says, leaning in and hugging me, "Sorry," he whispers in my ear, too soft for anyone else to hear. On his way out, he tilted his head over his shoulder and shouted back to me. Five words, but some of the most terrifying that could have been told at this moment. No, nothing about Snow or Gale or the games, those five words were, "Haymitch wants to see you."

I know, he's not that bad of a guy once he's sober, but that isn't the issue that I have. If he's here, in the Capitol again, something bad is happening back home. Back home where Prim and Posy and Rory and Vick and dozens upon dozens of unarmed children stand, helpless to whatever the Capitol chooses to do to them.

-0-

In the limo on the way to the studio where they will be recording the interview, Haymitch is sitting with us. I'm sandwiched between him and Peeta, and can't wait much longer to hear about home. I know I will have to choose each and every word carefully and end up spending the better part of the ride there deciding on what to say.

"So, how have things been back home? Has my mother been insisting that you spend each and every night eating dinner with them again?"

"Yeah, I get out of it most of the times, but I have eaten with them a few times. I have to say, Mrs. Hawethorne gets _pissed_ if there is so much as a bottle of liquor in the same room." He exclaims.

_Good, so Mrs. Hawthorne is safe, so is my mother._

I force a little chuckle and ask, "What about Prim and the kids?"

"Yeah, I don't think they like me either."

_Good, they're all safe._

"I haven't seen much of Sae lately though, or Ripper for that part."

_The hob, something's happened at the hob_.

Before I have a chance to make up something to ask, the car stops and we are whisked away to the interview. Peeta carried us through most of it since Haymitch was barely sober and I make an idiot of myself anytime I speak in public.

**PPOV:**

We got back from the interview late, Katniss was holding my arm for the first time that she wasn't wearing high heels, and I was walking her to her room. When we got there, she didn't let go, instead, she pulled me in after her.

"Katniss, I'll come back, I just need to change out of this tux," I said.

"No, please don't go." She says in the most helpless voice I've ever heard come from her mouth.

She changed into her pajamas in the bathroom and I stripped off the tux, crawling under the covers in my boxers. She comes out of the bathroom, climbs into bed, curls up against me and pulls the blankets up to her chin. It wasn't long before I felt a tear drip onto my shoulder.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" I ask, looking down into her face.

"Nothing." She says.

"Katniss-"

"It's nothing, I'm just worried. Haymitch is here and.. well... you know."

"Yeah, I know," I sigh, "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry?"

"Because, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You have absolutely everything to lose, and you're stressed. And I'm sorry for you, for anyone who has to feel like that. I don't have much of anything to lose, everything that's happening, it's all different for me. Like a secondhand point of view because no matter how hard I try, I can't make myself like Gale, and I can feel bad for him and his family, but I can't make myself like them. The only reason I'm even trying to give him the benefit of the doubt is because his life has been torn apart just as much as yours or mine." I say, "Actually, more than mine, way more than mine, because when I went into that arena, it was sheer luck, nothing else at play. I know for a fact that this is all a lot harder on him, knowing that if something goes wrong, his family or yours will be punished. I never felt like that, because I never had any huge attachment to my family."

She rolls onto her side to face me, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"But that isn't sad. You talk about us like all you feel is pity, like our lives have been awful and joy-less. They haven't. When you love someone, you accept the fact that there is going to be pain involved, you make that decision that loving them is worth the pain that comes with it. Each and every time they're in pain or anything goes wrong, you feel terrible about it, terrible because you can't do a think about it. But you still love them, because it's worth it and you can't change it anyways. The fact that we had something to lose in the first place, that we loved someone enough for it to be a punishment to ourselves for them to be harmed, it's a happy thing. That we have ever had anything in life that we loved that much."

I smile and brush back a stray lock of her hair from her face.

"I know." is all I say, kissing her on the forehead and laying back down on the pillows, pulling her back down next to me and closing my eyes.

"I know you know. That 'we' included you you know." she says, kissing me back.

I keep my eyes closed but can't hold back the smile for spreading over my face.

That night, we dozed off together, and spent the remainder of the night in a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**AN: Wow. I just sat down and wrote this whole thing, no breaks. My fingers are sore and my head hurts considering the fact that it is really late at night and I got so sucked into this I couldn't stop- correction, it's the morning, not the night, just checked the clock, passed up midnight a long time ago. I guess there are probably a lot of spelling and grammar errors since I'm only half awake. Just know that I fully intend to go back and fix any of those awkward sentences or the made-up words that probably don't even exist. So, as usual, read and review :D**

**Thanks,**

**Kelly TS**


	25. Chapter 25

**GPOV:**

I had made a salve for burns a while back and had carried it with us in anticipation of the fires to be throw our way. The only thing I didn't nesacarily anticipate was for them to be literally _thrown_ our way.

"Poppy," I shake her awake.

She rubs her eyes and sits up, pulling my sweatshirt around her shoulders.

"Morning Gale," she says, "How was the night?"

"Uneventful. Let me change the bandage on your leg," I say with a yawn.

She forces a bit of a grin and swings her leg out in front of me. It looked pretty nasty before I cleaned all the leaves and medicine off, but by the time it was ready to be re-bandaged, it looked pretty good. It was scarring over nicely, the swelling had gone down and it had started to return to it's normal color.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier? You didn't need to stay watch all night you know," she says.

"It's fine. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways, at least this was one of us is rested up."

She nods numbly and leans her head on my shoulder, locking her jaw as I smear another layer of the salve over her leg.

"It's fine, it'll be over in a minute," I soothe.

"I'm fine," She repeats.

When I finish with the salve, I layer some leaves over it. I remember Prim doing this once, but I'm not really sure what kind of leaves she used, so I'm really just guessing here.

I remember during Katniss' games, I would go over to their house after I finished hunting and I would go over to their house and sit with Prim to watch the required viewing. Every now and then I would bring my family over and we would have dinner together afterwards. Posy would sit on my lap and Prim would curl up beside me, her head on my shoulder, much in the way that Poppy was right now. Vick would sit on my other side and hold Posy's hand, Rory sitting next to him, barely fitting on the couch. Our mothers would sit at the kitchen table, whispering quietly, while I tried to distract Posy. Every now and then, Prim would mutter something under her breath about what Katniss needed to do to that wound or how she should patch up a burn or what herb to take to break a fever. I never paid much attention, but I regret it now.

After I finish up with Poppy's leg, I shrugged off my t-shirts and started peeling the leaves off my shoulder.

"I know a bit about medicine, do you want me to take a look at your shoulder?" Poppy offers.

I nob and grunt as she pulls herself up to finish peeling leaves off and wipe away the salve.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not too bad,"

"Okay, does not too bad mean not too bad, or does it mean you can still move?"

"Uh..." I trail off.

"I think it may be infected. I want to get a better look at it. Here, bite down on this," she instructs, putting the sleeve of my sweatshirt into my mouth, "This may hurt."

I lay down on the damp ground and bite on the sweatshirt as she blots away blood. Each touch burns like a fresh fire, just from the ever so slight touch of her hand.

"Gale, I think it's infected. Actually, I know it is. This is really, really, not good. Oh my god, Gale,"

"That bad?" I ask.

I knew it was bad, it was the reason I couldn't sleep. I hadn't even been able to lean against a tree or lay down on my back. I guess I just tried so hard to talk myself into thinking that it would heal that I stated to believe it. Clearly, I was very wrong.

"Yeah. Here's what I'm thinking, I'll cut open the pockets of pus to relive the pressure. It'll hurt a lot, but it'll help get rid of the infection. There are some leaves that'll draw out infection, you probably saw Rue using them last year on the Tracker Jacker stings, they'll work pretty much the same way. I'm going to chew them up and pack them over the areas I cut, then use some of the salve on the rest. Okay?"

"Yeah," I sigh, knowing just how much this is going to hurt.

Prim did a similar procedure on me a few years ago and it was hell.

"Satan, I'm home," I mumble before she starts the procedure.

There were a few points when I felt like I was going to pass out, but it never came. I gnawed on the sweatshirt as she slit open the pus pockets and eventually relaxed once she started spreading the herb mixture on my back. Once she's done, I sit up and lean my opposite shoulder on a tree. My hands are shaking and my skin glistens with sweat.

"Are you okay?" she asks tenativly.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," I say, "We should be moving on pretty soon. Don't want any one to find us. How do you feel about trees?"

"I don't know, you mean like... climbing?"

"Yeah, can you?"

"I don't know, I've never tried,"

"Okay. How do you feel about sleeping in one? I'll tie you in, you won't fall or anything."

"Sure, I guess."

We packed up and started hiking off in the same direction we had been going. We had gathered a fair amount of food already- mostly edible leaves and a few roots -but were still dangerously low on out food supply. I like to always have some type of food that way if we're trapped or injured or can't find anything to eat for awhile we won't starve. So far we hadn't had anything major happen, but that doesn't mean there isn't something in the planning.

After a few hours of trekking through the forest, we reached a hill, once we crested the top, I climbed a tree to get a better view. The back of my throat was dry and my tongue was starting to feel similar to a hunk of dried beef, so I had been looking for any sign of water since we had first started off. Nothing. Yet. Not until I reached the top of the tree and saw a small pond in a little clearing less than a mile away. I shimmied down the tree and told Poppy the good news- water.

When we got to the lake, I dropped our backpack next to a tree, I had been carrying it on one shoulder this entire time and it had begun to take ti's toll. It, like most of our supplies, had come from other tributes I had killed. I shrug off my shirt and slip off my shoes then wade into the cool water, letting it lap up around my burned shoulder and eventually up to my neck. Poppy splashes in after me and we spend the next few moments in silence, savoring the cool water.

"Gale," she says.

"Yeah?" I turn around to face her.

She is holding up a plant that she must have dug up from the bottom of the pond.

"Is this what I think it is?" I take a few steps toward her and take the plant from her hands to inspect it.

After a second, it hits me. A grin breaks across my face and I toss it onto the shore.

"Katniss," I whisper, pulling another root from the bottom of the pond, "Katniss. Got dammit, Katniss, who the hell thought I would run into you here,"

I laugh and throw root after root onto the shore. By the time I reach my sixth root, I collapse into the water in peals of laughter.

"Oh my god, Katniss. Well, looks like we're having dinner tonight," I say, lifting Poppy out of the pond, above my head and spinning her around.

Her toes skim the surface of the water, making tiny ripples coming out around us in a spiral. She giggles and I slow down, easing her to a stop and lower her back onto her feet.

We look at each other for a moment before we simultaneously crack up again. I pull myself out and into the mud, laying there laughing, Poppy at my side, a pile of Katniss roots next to me when the little silver parachute falls from the sky. It was the first one we had received during all the games, and there wasn't much that we needed. We had water, we had a good supply or food, I had already rigged a set of snares and we had several knives. What was in the package was beyond me, but I rolled over to grab it and set it down between Poppy and I.

**KPOV:**

He let Poppy open the package. It was a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a couple oranges. Nothing they really needed, but I wanted to send a message- laugh. The minute they started laughing and he picked her up in the lake, sponsors came pouring in. People wanted to see that- see them having a good time, playing around, enjoying themselves, _smiling_. I hope the message came across, but I'm fairly confident that Gale got it, if nothing else, he smirked directly at one of the tree cameras. Though it could have been a coincidence, I have a good feeling that he put two and two together and figured out that at least some of the cameras are in the trees.

"Hey," Peeta says from behind me.

I swivel my chair around to face him and grin.

"How're they doing?" He says.

"Good. They got a lot of sponsors."

"Good for them," he sits down on the chair next to me and reaches for the ear wig, "How have you been doing?"

I shrug and tap on on e of the screens to bring the volume up.

"So... you don't really like Peeta that much, do you?" Poppy's voice said, "I mean, you two don't seem to get along well."

I put my hand over his and push it back onto the desk.

"Let's go get something to eat. I've had enough of this for one day," I say.

A flash of something crosses his face before he stands up, takes my hand, and leads me into the lounge.

**PPOV:**

I don't think she knows, but I heard it. I heard what they were talking about. I sit down next to her on the couch though, pretend I don't know what was going on, pretend everything is the same. I pick up a cracker off the table next to us and dip it into a thick, creamy dip that resembles the garlic and onion dip we sold at the bakery sometimes. Katniss curls her feet up on the couch next to us and leans her head on my shoulder. I'm about to offer her a cracker when Cinna walks in, his face etched with worry.

"What happened?" Katniss asks the second he's within earshot.

"I don't know. I got a call from Haymitch, he wanted to talk to you."

She springs up from the couch and speed walks next to him all the way to his office where she snatches up the phone and waves me over to listen in.

"I haven't seen Ripper in days, I can't get into town to buy any liquor, and Prim won't even pick up the phone anymore. I would like you to lodge a complaint to the President that I would like them to send in another train, only this one loaded with something alcoholic Thank you and good bye. Oh, and by the way, Peeta, you suck at listening in." With that the line goes dead.

She closes her eyes and sucks in a deep breath.

"Can we go up to the roof for some fresh air?" She asks.

"Yeah, sounds good," I say, taking her hand and leading her to the elevator.

Once on the roof, we sit down next to a bed of flowers.

"Something's going on. I don't know what, but they aren't letting him leave his house, the phones at my house have been disconnected, and there's something about the Hob. They're bringing in trains, I assume they're full of peacekeepers, and there are shortages. And something about Snow. I just don't know. I need to get home, I need to know," She cries into my shoulder and I wrap my arms around her waist.

Our district has always been a fairly safe place, if you found a way to put food on the table, you would live. Period. There were never any of the punishments outlined in the laws, never any whippings or executions Most of those laws have been long forgotten, rules gone unnoticed for years. If they were finally cracking down on the whole district, people would starve. Every hour of every day of work anyone could get was taken, when you had money, you fed your family, any notion of saving it for an emergency wasn't an option, if you did that, you would die of starvation before you had a chance to use the money. So, when something did go wrong, the entire world fell apart. Everything in the district was coated with a fine layer of coal dust, the second a fire started, it took every able bodied man woman and child in the area to put it out and make sure it didn't spread.

"Katniss, you don't think that they would stop the trading at the hob by burning-"

"I don't know. I don't know. I need to know. There has to be something... anything. Anything we can do." She cries.

And I have a feeling that that was what was going on at home- our world was disappearing, in fire and ash.

* * *

Okay, I don't really like the chapter itself, kinda' boring really, but I like the ending, especially the last sentence, I think it's one of my favorite lines from this chapter. So, what do you think? Too much, too little, too boring? Give me your input. I have a plan for the next chapter and I think it is going to be pretty good!


	26. Chapter 26

**KPOV:**

At least they didn't send Haymitch to the Capitol. For one, it meant nothing too serious was going down that they would want to keep him away from, and for two, it meant we could get periodical status updates on the district.

"Cinna," I say.

"Yes?"

"After the games are over, do the mentors go straight home?"

"Usually, yes."

"So, as soon as there's a winner, we all get to leave?"

"Probably," he responds.

I nod and take the dress he hands to me. Since they were down to the last eight tributes there would be a party with all the mentors, victors, and family members of the remaining tributes, along with some specially invited Capitol guests. I step into the dress and tug it over my shoulders, then turn around so he can fasten the buttons up the back.

At first glance, the dress is black, with a diagonal cut skirt and a relatively modest neckline, but upon closer examination, both the hem and the top were somewhat deformed in what appeared to be burn marks. Cinna spins his finger for me to twirl and when I do, the hem glows like embers. Cinna smiles and helps me into my shoes as Effie rushes in, tutting about the time.

"Just make sure not to spin too much before the party, I want the effect to be noticed on the dance floor first," Cinna says as I'm dragged from the room.

I have time for a quick nod and a mumbled "Okay," before Effie shuts the door behind me.

-0-

Apparently, it was a formal dinner and dance party, so there were tables, but also a very large area dedicated to a dance floor.

When we got there, most of the tributes had arrived and quite a few guests and several of the families, including Posy's. Looking around, I noticed that there were a good deal of Capitol children milling about and assume their parents are people of high status and that this party wouldn't be as... different as the fundraiser that we had been to with Finnick.

"Should we sit with them?" Peeta asks, nodding to the table Posy's family was sitting.

"I think we should. I mean, we at least need to say hello," I say, taking his hand in mine and walking towards their table.

They take up nearly a whole table, leaving only two extra seats which we take.

"Hello, I'm Katniss," I introduce myself.

The two youngest girls' faces light up and they climb up to stand on their chairs and get a better look at me.

"Katniss Everdeen?" The older of the girls asks.

"Yeah, and this is Peeta,"

One of the little girls smiles even bigger and hops off her chair, followed quickly by her sister, and they come to stand either side of Peeta and I.

"Would you be Aster?" I asked the girl next to me

"Nu-uh, that's me," the one next to Peeta says

"Ah, so you must be Azalea," I say, lifting her onto my lap.

"Uhuh," she smiles, and Peeta takes Aster by the hand, standing up next to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asks her.

She nods enthusiastically and practically drags him out onto the dance floor just in time for the start of a tango. He lifts her with one arm and holds her hand out in the other, leaning her back into a dip, doing the basic steps to a tango minus the spins.

"So, you're Briar I take it?" I ask the young man who had been sitting silently across the table from me.

He nods stiffly, and goes back to eating a piece of chicken from a plate that had been set in front of him.

I hold the little girl on my lap and remember when Prim was that size. I was only eight, but I could still remember sitting around with our father, cuddling under a blanket in front of the fire, toasting bread.

I'm brought out of my little day dream by a waiter setting a plate of food in front of me. It has a piece of chicken, some roasted vegetables, smashed potatoes with some sort of sauce over them, and a personal boat of gravy. Based on the small portion sizes, I assume that it is one of many courses to come.

"Want something to eat?" I offer her, holding a forkful of chicken in front of her.

She squirms around and looks at me wide eyed before she grabs my fork and digs into the potatoes, dipping them into the gravy every now and then, until Peeta returns and takes Azalea's hand for the next dance, her sister replacing her on my lap.

"So, how have things been back home? Any news?" I ask, trying to make conversation, and maybe hoping that they would say something about the district.

I mean, this place was full of Capitol citizens, and must be covered in mics and cameras, and I guess that I knew from the start I wouldn't be getting any information tonight, so I was really just setting myself up for disappointing.

"Oh, nothing unusual. Nothing at all," Poppy's mother says quickly, leaving no time for her daughter to say anything incriminating.

"Right, so what do you think of the food? Pretty good, right?"

"It's good," she says, taking another bite from the plate in front of her.

"There's going to be plenty more, trust me, I doubt anyone ever leaves these places empty-stomached," I say, "Just steer clear of shot glasses with unknown liquid and your good," I warn, remembering my own close call with the vomit-inducing drink.

She smiles a bit, and looks down at her plate. A few minutes later, more and more people are arriving, including the Hawthorne family.

"Hazel, Rory!" I shout across the noisy party hall, waving them over, "Vick, Posy,"

Posy pulls her hand free from Hazel's and runs towards our table.

"Posy, I missed you," I whisper into her hair , wrapping my arms around her tiny shoulders, "Gale told me to tell you that he loves you, and... and..." I choke.

_And that he misses you_. That's what he would want me to say. Actually, he did, in the woods one year, we made a pact that if one of us was reaped, we would make sure to take care of the kids, and in my say at least, that doesn't just mean keeping them fed, it means, well, raising them.

"You too. I missed you and him and I love both of you," she says.

I set her on my other knee, grabbing a fork off the table next to us and handing it to her before flagging down another waiter to bring more plates for the Hawthorne family. We pull another table over so that we are all sitting together, and later in the night add another for Finnick, Annie, Cinna and Portia (who showed up late because they had been working) and of course Effie.

When it began to get late, and the light through the windows and skylights dimmed, Cinna smiled at me, held up a finger, and walked up to the conductor whispering something in his ear. A few minutes later, a folk song from back home began to play, though it was much more ornate than the one we usually play back home on whittled flutes and fiddles passed down through generations, it was the same tune, and everyone at our table perked up at the sound of it.

"Don't forget to twirl," he whispers as I make my way to the dance floor with the children.

We line up and link arms, nodding in beat, then when it comes to the right part, we all tap our right foot on the floor about a foot in front of ourselves, then swing it up to our knee, and repeat the motion with the other foot, adding in a bit of a hop with each movement and going faster as the tempo increases.

As we get further and further into the dance, fewer and fewer people from the capitol are on the floor, instead they are being replaced with the families of tributes, victors, and mentors, including Peeta who takes Aster by the hand and guides her through the steps. It seems that the younger children are all at least somewhat familiar with the dance, and most all of the adults from the districts seem to know it. As the ends of the lines curl around to meet in a circle, we split into partners and begin to do a sort of stomping motion before being spun off to the next partner.

At my first partner change, I made sure to do a full twirl and listened to the gasps of the bystanders- Capitol and Districts alike -as the hem of my dress spit synthetic flames around me, turning me into a column of fire. I'm not sure if Cinna adjusted something or what, but there were deffinatly more flames than there had been back in the prep center.

My first few partners were all from District Twelve, Rory, Vick, Hazel, Aster, Azalia, Posy, and Briar, but as we got further and further through the cycle, I came up on people I didn't recognize from other districts.

"So, do you guys have this song in your District too?" I ask a woman who had just grabbed my hand and begun to stomp.

"Oh, yes, we sing along with it though,"

"What is it?" I ask, never having heard it sung before, not even by my father.

"Cotton Eye Joe. Old song, it goes something along the lines of: If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe, I'd been married long time ago, Where did you come from where did you go, Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe," She sings, spinning happily off to her next partner.

Next up is Finnick, whose face is lighting up at the sight of Annie smiling and spinning into Peeta's arms as the new cycle begins.

After a few more people had cycled through, and we were about half way around the circle, some Capitol citizens began to join in, picking up on the moves and rythem fairly quickly. By the end of the song, nearly everyone in the party hall was dancing together- even Haymitch and Chaff who had hobbled in a some point.

When the song ended, we sat back down at the table, Posy and Aster on my lap, Peeta and Azalia to my right and Vick to my left. Finnick pulls out the seat across from me and offers it to Annie before taking the seat across from Peeta.

"I'm surprised they knew that song, I thought it was just from our District," Annie says, spooning a sip of soup up to her mouth.

"Same here, I didn't think anyone would join in either, I though it would just be the kids and I," I say, surveying the lines of utensils on either side of me and choosing a spoon at random.

"That's a place spoon," Peeta whispers in my ear before I dip it into my soup.

"And, it was nice that so many people from the Capitol joined in don't you think?" Annie says.

"I guess," I mutter, reaching for another spoon and looking to Peeta for approval.

"Coffee spoon," he whispers.

"I take it you don't really like them? I understand, Finn feels the same way, and for good reason, but they were born into this just as much we were, they were just raised to see it all differently. Like when you look at something through the water, it's distorted, sorta wavy, that's what everyone does, they can't see anything for what it is, only what they've been taught to see. We do it too, we look at them like monsters, but there realyl isn't much of a difference. I'm not saying everyone should go around loving everyone regardless of who they are, just that we should at least give them a chance. Give them what we never got, a single, unbiased opinion of themselves. They grew up with food and lavish houses and beauty and schooling, and I don't see why we should penalize them for that," she says.

I know she's crazy, everyone knows, but for a second there, I give it consideration. If a child from the Capitol was being sent into the games, would I pitty them? Would I give them a seconds consideration that maybe they really were just a child? Would I ever even consider volunteering for them?

After going through three more spoons, I came across the soup spoon. Granted Peeta set it in my hand and positioned my fingers for me, but I did end up using the right spoon.

When we finished the soup there was about a half hour before the next course was to be served, so I took Rory by the hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor with me. Normally I would have done anything to avoid going onto the dance floor, but since this was probably the only time these kids would be in the Capitol, I figured we should probably make the best of it.

As the night wore on, both Peeta and I danced with nearly every child in the room, Districts and Capitol citizens alike. Many of the young girls in paticular were thrilled to be invited to dance by the Girl on Fire or her fiance, and quite a few young boys were pretty happy too.

As we made our way out, Haymitch gave me a look. We didn't get a chance to talk, but the look he gave me sent shivers down my spine. It was getting worse.

"Soon," he mouthed to me.

_Soon? Soon what? _I want to say, but no words come out Because Effie is whisking us away before I have a chance to talk to him or even to say goodbye to the Hawthorns.

* * *

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated. Next chapter will hopefully come sooner since the break is coming up. Just saying, it's big, I have it all planned out and it may be the last one.

Read and Review,

KellyTS


	27. Chapter 27

**KPOV:**

_The birds stopped singing._

"The birds stopped singing," I say aloud for the millionth time.

"Katniss, you know what it means, you know what happened. We just need to last a bit longer until we can go home. I'm sure your family is fine," Peeta says.

"But what about everyone else? Huh? What about Ripper and Sae and Madge and everyone else. What about the people in the mines? I can bet you that they're all shut down, I can bet you that people are keeling over dead every dead, that children are starving and sick and dying. And why? Why? I'm pretty sure it's my fault. I mean, when isn't it," I hiss.

He runs a hand through my hair and kisses my forehead. We were on the roof. I clutched a piece of paper from Briar in my fist. In the last dance of the night, he had tucked it into my hand.

"Maybe it isn't so bad. Maybe he's just messing with you,"

"You saw the look Haymitch gave us. Something happened. This is just confirmation. The birds stopped singing. The canaries in the mines. They stop singing, you leave, you get the hell you of there. It means there's about to be an explosion, it means there was a bomb,"

"Katniss, you don't know that,"

"I do. What is the worst thing they could do to the district? They've already shut down the mines, brought in new peacekeepers, what else? To the district caked in coal dust. They set it on fire. That's what happened," I whisper with the utmost certainty.

This time, he doesn't answer. Because, he knows I'm right. He knows that something- if not everything -in the District has gone down in ash.

And this is the last thing I remember thinking before I knew the truth. The hovercraft seemed to materialize out of midair just like the day in the woods, and a tingling feeling fell over me and lifted me into the air. The only thing I could think in that single moment was Peeta. Why was I moving, but not him. I didn't think about why I was moving in the first place or what was going on with me, only why is he staying. But I only got a moment to think this, because shortly after, I saw a strange face, then everything went black.

-0-

I woke up in a sterile room with white curtains and white blankets and white floors and walls and a white ceiling and not a speck of color in the whole place. My eyes are burning and I feel like I've swallowed sand paper, but I seem to be uninjured. I run my eyes and sit up in what appears to be a hospital bed

I push myself up off the bed and squint around, then tried to stand up, but ended up falling to a heap on the floor, my balance and vision being somewhat substandard. I pull my self up and try again, staggering a few steps to a tray of medical instruments on a table by my bed.

_The only people who own hovercrafts are the Capitol. They've got me. Well, they've had me, but they're still the only ones who could have done this- invaded the Capitol in a hovercraft and kidnapped me and... Peeta. Where is Peeta?_

Without giving it another seconds thought, I grab a needle off the tray and stumble for the door with one thing in mind- to kill him. Then, if I had time, I would kill myself, but he's the priority. Because you don't kidnap people from your own threshold for no reason. They would hurt, torture, and kill us, and the code of a hunter is to always look out for your partners best interest, and that's what I'm doing. I'm not going to let them torture him and pump him for information that he doesn't have. I would have to kill him with a syringe. Maybe hit an artery and let him bleed out. I don't know. I would find a way.

I open the door and glance down the empty hall then began to make my way towards the only other door, holding the syringe under my hospital gown. I open the door slowly and creep in.

"Oh, good, you're up," a somewhat gruff voice says.

My vision is still blurred and I can't make out a face, but the voice is familiar, though not Peeta's.

"Who are you? And where am I? What's happening?" I ask, grabbing for something to hold onto.

I'm not sure if my hearing is also messed up or if I'm just slurring my words, but it didn't quite sound like me.

"You're on a rebel hovercraft from District 13, we're taking you back to our base,"

"But... 13 is gone. 13... 13 doesn't exist any more, they're the reason they kill our children every year. And they sure as hell better be dead, because if they aren't, I'll fix that," I say through clenched teeth, trying to walk forward towards the mystery man.

A hand stops me and pushes me down into a chair.

"That's what I said when they came to me," he spits, "But you gotta' pull yourself together because these people are our best bet in winning this war,"

"What _war_. There's no _war_. There hasn't been in decades."

The man chuckles and shakes his head, "They really have been keeping you locked up in there, haven't they sweet heart,"

_Sweet heart? Who's the only person who's ever called me that? _I think, recalling old memories probably best left forgotten.

"Haymitch?"

"Well now, how did you guess?"

"Where's Peeta?"

"Oh, so that's what the needle was for, you were gonna' put the boy out of his misery. You and a syringe against the Capitol. You see, this is why we don't let you make the plans," he says.

I pull the needle out of my gown and drop it on the table, wondering what gave me away.

"So, where is he?"

"Our best guess is in very deep in the Capitol. Too deep to retrieve. Sorry,"

And that's all he said, because that's all there was to say. There's always that moment when something changes that shifts your entire life. You would never dream that this is where you would be in a day, but it is. At the reaping, I never dreamed Prim would be reaped, then I never thought I would win, then I never thought Peeta would win with me. And most recently, I thought that nothing would happen. That we would fight like hell to get Gale out, then we would go back home and his family would move into the victor's village and we would all live out our lives. But that isn't going to happen, because if Peeta's not dead right now, he's being tortured and I can never go back home again because the Capitol would kill me. They would kill me and my family and everyone else I cared about.

"What about Prim? And the Hawthrones?"

"They made it, we've got them back in 13,"

"And Gale?"

"Him too. We got him and Posy and a few others from the arena. Look, I can't answer all your questions, Plutarch will be in to brief you in a few minutes,"

"Okay,"

"Sorry about Peeta, I told them to get him too, but they wouldn't listen. Said it would compromise the mission,"

"He was sitting right next to me," I whisper, almost to my self.

"I know. You were first priority, any risk that we didn't have to take, they wouldn't make it. You have no clue how hard it was for me to get them to take Finnick. He's been working for us on the inside for years now and they wanted to leave him behind. Like I said, they didn't care who had to die, as long as it meant you came out,"

I nod, but can't quite bring myself to answer.

"Plutarch as in... Heavensbee?"

"Yeah, another inside man, he's actually a general for the alliance. He'll talk things through with you."

-0-

"Why did we all pass out?" I ask first thing when he walks in.

"Our hovercrafts aren't nearly as advanced as the capitol ones. We had some... technicalities with the lift and it put out too much electricity. Normally it only sends enough to momentarily paralyze whoever is in it, practically painless, but outs emitted too much and it made you lose consciousness. No perminate damage, it was just a shock to your body."

"Why now?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you pull us now? Not earlier while we were at home or after the games or just a different time when you could have gotten both of us?"

"First of all, right off the bat, you need to understand that we never would have been able to get you and Peeta out together. Like I said, our technology isn't that good and the lift takes a long time to operate and recharge. It would have taken too long to get Peeta out with you, and we weren't willing to take that chance,"

"That wasn't your choice to make,"

"But it was, Miss Everdeen. I had to decide if getting Peeta out with you was as important as risking your life-"

"But you could have tried! You could have tried to get him and you didn't. You didn't even try," I shout.

He ignores my outburst and continues on in a completely mono-tone voice.

"There was a bombing in the district. Fire bombs. Not many people made it out. It was the night that the tributes families came back from the Capitol and no one was prepared for anything. Rory and Hazel gathered enough people to push down a section of the fence and people ran into the woods. Not many people from the town made it out though, since they're closest to the Capitol, the planes got there first. The Victor's Village is in the town and Rory realized he hadn't seen Prim since the bombing started, so he ran into the town. He got Prim and your mother out and to the woods. About three days later we sent in hovercrafts to see what had happened and when they realized it was burnt to the ground, they started to leave, but someone spotted the part of the fence that went down and they sent down troops to search the woods. That boy saved the lives of nearly a hundred people and kept the younger ones fed with the hunting stuff of yours he found in the woods. You should be proud, from what I understand, he's practically your child,"

I ignore the last comment and as "And, the Melarks?"

"Not that we know of,"

"And... uh... Gale?"

"A second hovercraft went into the arena. It was no small task, we had dozens of people on the inside who brought down the force fields long enough for us to get in and out. We got Gale, Posy, and a few others, but we couldn't save them all. We ran out of time,"

"What about Finnick? And Annie? What about the other mentors?"

"Finnick has been helping us for a long time. He's been in on this whole thing for years. He was in the courtyard at the time and we got him. He's in this hovercraft, in a room down the hall from you, he hasn't woken up yet. We didn't get Annie though,"

"Oh. He's going to be upset,"

"He'll get over it,"

"What makes you say that?"

"She was just his girlfriend, he'll move on, we all do,"

"She wasn't just his girlfriend, they were in love. You're talking like she's already dead,"

"She may be,"

"I would hope not. When he finds out that you left her there... you sure as hell better have that army of yours standing between you two,"

"Look, not every one feels so strongly about each other as you seem to think. He'll be upset, but he'll pull himself together and get over her,"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I say, "Where's his room?"

"He isn't awake,"

"Where's his room?" I repeat.

"Go down the hall, take two rights, his door will be the first one on your left,"

He follows me out and into Finnicks room and when we got there, he was still out cold, but he woke up just a few long minutes later.

"Where's Annie?" is the first thing he asks as his eyelids flutter open.

"Ask Plurach," I say, snapping my neck around to look at him.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so, I lied. This is so not going to be the last chapter. I thought I was just going wrap it up nicely and leave everything where it stood in mocking jay and just let you assume it all worked out basically the same... and I couldn't. This is a completely different set of scenarios with a completely different emotional effect. So... six review for the next chapter? **


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